And another superlative Dorothea Muhr and her fantastic Blaufränkisch

1. And another superlative: Dorothea Muhr and her fantastic Blaufränkisch

2. In the first column of this year, I want to continue with Blaufränkisch, the grape variety from the Danube region that is known in Germany as Lemberger. Specifically, with what I believe to be the most authentic Blaufränkisch that I have recently had in my glass: the Blaufränkisch from the Lower Austrian winemaker Dorli (Dorothea) Muhr. Most recently, I drank a red wine with a similarly fantastically brilliant overall style and similarly Burgundian approach at Sebastian Fürst in Franconia. Muhr makes her wine in Prellenkirchen, in the unjustly little-known wine region of Carnuntum, which borders Burgenland to the north and benefits from the Pannonian climate - which means it can get hot. And Muhr was a career changer when she founded her winery in 2002, one of the many successful people in winemaking who did not learn the profession of winemaker. Muhr has not given up her normal job, running a PR agency. 

3. The Blaufränkisch variety, which of course has its own identity, can reliably dock with very great Pinots - other winemakers before Muhr have already proven this. And it is also, along with Cabernet Franc, the spiciest red wine variety that I know. A positive rustic elegance, the fruit often more oriented towards a light cassis than a cherry and then also harmonizing absolutely with wood: everything there that could make the under-recognized variety more popular - more popular than Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah. But there are too few vineyards and too few bottles to make Blaufränkisch a world-famous grape and an export hit. And that's a good thing. Besides, the market isn't crying out for red wines right now anyway.  One reason for the lack of red wines is that they do not suit a market that has become more feminine. In other words, women do not like to drink thick, rich red wines that smell of jam and taste the same, which men like to pour into their glasses with a steak or as a fireside wine. 

4. The wines of DorliMuhr. Are these now feminine red wines? Is it correct to categorize the top winemaker from Spitzerberg just because feminine is a term that supposedly adds a touch of fashionable feminism to the explanation of Muhr's wines? Is there such a thing as feminine winemaking? DorliMuhr's wines are definitely not one thing: feminine wines. They are not exclusively great wines. And they start with the simplest Blaufränkisch: the Carnuntum regional wine (€ 18.00). Here, at the start of the journey through her Blaufränkisch, Muhr demonstrates the approach that all top winemakers should have: none of the winery's wines, not even the cheapest ones, should lack a signature. And Muhr's signature simply does not fit any classification. Not even that of feminine wines. On the nose, first damp clover, then a little rose hip, a little broom, a little eucalyptus, then cherry, a little ripe pepper and cassis. Already with the Carnuntum (2022 vintage) you notice: Muhr has analyzed all the possibilities of the variety, drawn his own conclusions that others do not draw, and recognized and pressed the possibility of the greatest possible excellence and elegance. As a part-time winemaker, I know that it is a huge leap from very good handwriting to excellent handwriting that most winemakers do not manage. Because you have to flip the switch in your brain to really take risks.

5. Samt und Seide (vintage 2022) is the name of the second wine in the glass (€ 23.00), in my opinion a name that is too conservative for one of the best local wines ever. As it should be, Muhr arouses curiosity about her great Blaufränkisch with this creation. For example, the Ried SpitzerbergKobeln Erste Lage Liebkind (2021, € 67.00): a red wine pressed very calmly at the lower end of the single-vineyard wines, which amazingly makes you want to drink the bottle straight away. The Liebkind has the drinkability in its gears that the following two wines are currently lacking in this drastic form, simply because they were tasted too early. Spitzerberg Erste Lage ObereRoterd (2021, € 85.00) is a unique specimen of taut power and endlessly exuberant elegance. Here you drink a wine from a winemaker who knows very well that she is right to base her wines on great Burgundies. And then the SpitzerbergObere Spitzer Erste Lage (2021 € 120.00): a wine that for me really falls outside the variety, outside the image of Blaufränkisch. This Blaufränkisch, which for me is one of the best red wines in the world, is one of the few examples of wine that tells the entire story of this southeastern European variety, including that of its northern border. And in fact as a feature film in Ultra Cinemascope.

6. Thank You