Apparently from the oldest Mourvedre plantings in the world - a vineyard planted back in 1853. Lovely aromatic profile with sweet plum and black cherry flavours dominating the nose over softer notes of leather, damp earth and some faint meaty and eucalyptus notes that emerge with air. Rich and powerful in the mouth without ever feeling too heavy or dense; there's a core of sweet dark fruit here with savoury earthy, leathery and dark chocolate flavours, decent acidity and fairly soft, chewy tannins underneath the fruit. Finishes long but shows a bit of warmth on the back end - excellent, although I'd like this even more if the alcohol wasn't sticking out a bit at the end.
2007 Hirsch Gruner Veltliner Heiligenstein (Kamptal, 12% alc, under screwcap)
Starts out with a lovely nose of flowers, white pepper, lemon and some faint greenish notes, but the real fireworks here are in the mouth. Silky textured with plenty of acidity, showing incredibly bright, clear citrus fruit flavours mingled with herbs, spices and some savoury brothy notes up front, then a wave of rocks and cold steel sweeps in on the back end and this finishes long and minerally. At $23 (during the Crush sale recently) I should have bought a lot more than just one bottle. At least I have the Heiligenstein Riesling to look forward to.
