this heaven gives me migraine

2001 Nigl Reseve Sauvignon Blanc

Notes: I had an earlier vintage of this wine years ago and spent years trying to find it again, which I finally did this last spring. Nigl is well known for Riesling and Gruner Veltliner, but their Sauvignon Blanc is either so unremarkable that it is not bothered with here in the states, or so good that it is all drunk up in Austria and nothing usually gets out this way. In any case, the one I had years ago was the first wine that I'd ever had serious snap on the tongue from CO2 and I remember being in love with it from the first sip. This incarnation of the wine is different from what I remember, but then it is a different vintage and also a bit longer in the tooth than the one I had many years ago (which was only a year or two old).

Clear gold in the glass, this is all about fruit, and smells like it could be the bastard child of Riesling and Gewurztraminer, not Sauvignon Blanc. It's not green at all, but round and rich and full of fruit and floral craziness (think white lilies). Peaches and apricots abound in the nose, along with some warm spices like nutmeg and ginger. There are a lot more very ripe peaches and apricots in the mouth, with a toasted cream finish laced with honey. It's funny that I drank this worried that it would be tired and the fruit would be gone, and there is really nothing but fruit going on in here. My only complaint is that it made me very congested! (That was either the sulfites or my endless sinus infection talking, since I had this one back in the throes of on-and-off sinus infections.)

Cost: $42

Overall: B+

2002 Iby Blaufränkisch Hochäcker

Region: Mittelburgenland, Austria

Composition: 100% Blaufränkisch

Background: I got this bottle as a free 'thank you' from a wine club I am in, so it was one of those surprise bottles for me. You (or at least I) don't see a lot of Blaufränkisch around, and you certainly don't see a lot of people (at least here in California) advertising it. My friends never say "Oooh, I could really go for a Blaufränkisch right about now!" and I rarely see it on the list at restaurants or wine bars. What is it, anyway? I read up a little on it (thank you, Jancis Robinson) and found out that it used to be considered a clone of Gamay, which is pretty strange, given its characteristics, but people came to their senses and probably did some testing and figured out it isn't.

Blaufränkisch is widely grown in Austria and also planted in Germany (where it is known as Limberger), Hungary (where it's called Kekfrankos, and is blended with other grapes to make Egri Bikaver, "The Bull's Blood of Eger") and in Washington state here in the U.S. (where it is referred to as Lemberger). "Blaufränkisch" means, literally, "Blue Franconian", and the name dates back to the era of Charlemange, when good-quality wines were labelled "Fränkisch" and cheaper wines "Heunsch". Oh, if only it were that simple today.

Iby is located in Mittelburgenland (as you might guess by the name, an area in the center of Austria), in the town of Horitschon. The vineyard the grapes came from is "Hochäcker", in case the label made you wonder. Iby grows only red varietals on the 50 acres of land they own and are a member of a group called "Verband Blaufränkischland", which is a regional group devoted to getting the best wine possible from the grape. In order to do that, the VB have laid down some rules as to how to grow and handle Blaufränkisch, acting as a local appellation control group. Whatever they are telling people to do with these grapes, it's along the right lines, because this wine is pretty good!

Notes: I've never had this varietal before, but it is like a lighter version of Syrah, or maybe Cabernet Sauvignon. It's a medium ruby-blue-red in the glass, and has a nose full of red berries and forest floor and some smoky spice. It's got some serious acid on it, but it's also full of red fruit, like cherries, along with more of that smoky spice, and the acid ends up being not overpowering at all. Acid notwithstanding, it's very soft in the mouth, and has dusty tannins and a long, soft finish. Overall I don't think it is overwhelmingly complex, but it is a solid wine, pleasant to drink, and pairs nicely with food, which was, in this case, some Epoisses de Bourgone, St. Nectaire, and Parrano that I had around, along with some Meyer lemon and rosemary bread (dinner of champions, let me tell you). Once it sat out and got some air (an hour or two) it started to develop a decidedly leathery/tobbacoey finish, which I thought was pretty interesting.

Cost: $14

Overall: B+

2001 Felsner Gruner Veltliner Gedersdorfer Lossterrassen "Kabinett"

Region: Kremstal, Austria

Composition: 100% Gruner Veltliner

Background: The winery is run by Manfred Felsner, who took over the 30-acre estate in 1990 and has worked to reduce yields on the vines in order to make better, more expressive wines. He is pretty hands-off in regard to fussing with the vines, and makes a lot of Gruner from the old (30-plus years) vines on the estate. Felsner has also had some success with Riesling, even though that grape is a newcomer to the land in comparison to the Gruner.

Notes: This particular wine, as the label indicates, comes from the Lossterrassen vineyard in Gedersdorf, a town in the northeastern part of Kremstal (one of Austria's more well-known wine-growing regions, which lies a bit northwest of Vienna). Austria produces slightly richer wines than Germany (although they grow similar grapes) and this wine shows that. It's a beautiful, clear yellow in the glass with some soft paling at the rim. It has a very fruity and floral nose for a Gruner Veltliner, with a lot of pineapple and white stone fruit. With a slight CO2 snap on the tongue (at least fresh out of the bottle) it behaves more like a Gruner once in the mouth, and is hard, nutty, and full of acid and mineral. The finish has some lingering citrus, mostly grapefruit with a hint of mineral. Overall, the wine is bright, well-balanced, and refreshing.

Cost: $10

Overall: A