2012 Pittnauer Pinot Noir Dorflagen

Pittnauer

Austria / Burgenland / Pittnauer

Pinot Noir grown on various sites in the Burgenland region of Austria. Wild yeast fermented and aged for 12 months in used barriques.

September, 2014

Gary Walsh

The Wine Front

90 points

Earthy cast, almost beetroot, lot of herbal characters and flowers, dark cherry, mineral inflection. Medium bodied, plenty of flavour, powdery tannin, sappy and herbal, but also ripe and good to drink. Certainly tails off on the finish, but offers other things by way of compensation: not least price and point of difference to taste. Comes thoroughly recommended.

Standard Bottle Out of Stock

About Pittnauer

It's 20-odd years since Gerhard and Brigitte Pittnauer took over the winery in Gols near Lake Neusiedl in Burgenland, bordering Hungary at the eastern edge of Austria. Over that time they've pushed the boundaries of Austrian red winemaking, in particular with St Laurent and Zweigelt. But then there's the Blaufränkisch and - have you ever tried Burgenland Pinot Noir? You must. In 2001 the construction of the fittingly striking production hall in the middle of the vineyards allowed for a quantum jump in quality and quantity.

About

Pittnauer's wines are elegant, structured, complex and beautifully drinkable - qualities that were highlighted when Gerhard was named 2014 Winemaker of the Year by Falstaff magazine. This, the highest accolade in Austrian wine, shows just how far the Pittnauers have come. It also goes some way to showing what a fiercely gifted individual we have on our hands. But then everything -from the Pitti blend, through the vivid addition-free wines and right up to the devastatingly good single vineyards - will pretty much tell you the same thing.