Question about 2006 Muhr Van Der Niepoort Carnuntum

[Andy Velebil]

Has anyone ever had this wine or any info about it? I just ordered 2 bottles, since it was only $17/bottle, but I won't be able to pick them up until next week.

I know this isn't a Douro wine but since it's also made by Dirk, at least I think, I figured someone here might know about it.

[Frederick Blais]

I'm the importer of this wine for Quebec :)

I think today Dirk is mostly involved in the barrel selection of what will be part of the final blends. Dorli, his ex-wife, hired a stagiaire of Niepoort since harvest 2008 in the name of Graig Hawkins.

2006 was a mild year, the wines are medium bodied, very aromatic, they have medium to high acidity, fresh but ripe fruit. You can clearly see the same philosophy of wine making here than in the Douro, though the wine are not as heavy and fruit driven. This 100% Blaufrankish wine is mostly made from vines aged between 12 and 25 years. The flavours are a mix of field berry fruits, cranberries and garden herbs. It calls for food, it goes well with duck, porc and any tomato driven meal. It reminds me of a high quality Beaujolais with more fruit. Graig said that the 2007 wines were probably the best produced yet, they added a Syrah to the portfolio too. 2008 looks very promising so far too. If you can find the white wine : Prelienkirchen it is fantastic with sea food, it should be priced in the same region of 17-20$.

[Andy Velebil]

Fred,
I didn't realize you were in the import business now. What other producers do you import?

And thanks for the info on this. I'll pick them up next week and I have a wine offline at a place that specializes in Duck in a couple weeks, so this may be a good wine to bring along and see how it pairs.

Is this a drink now type of wine or is it meant to age for some years?

[Frederick Blais]

I'm not into imports for real business yet. I simply wanted this wine in my cellar and thought the best way would be to import it as Quebec rules are not easy for consumers who only wants a few bottles of a wine not listed. It is not easy to sell as Austria is not a reknown country for the red wines. In this price range, people want blockbuster wines too...

It is good now but will improve over the next 2-3 years I'd say. Blaufrankish is a grape that is initially tannic and simple but needs a few years to show its best. Spitzerberg is the top wine, the best 20% of the harvest, mostly old vines, is chosen for this wine that I think can age up to 20 years.

I'll be curious to read your feedback on this wine.

[Andy Velebil]

Thanks, I'll be sure to post a TN on it when I crack one open.

This is the only one I've seen here in the states, but I'll keep an eye out for the Spitzerberg.

In this price range, people want blockbuster wines too...

For an under $20 wine I mean there are some really great values in this price range, so don't get me wrong, but blockbuster typically comes with a higher price.