Domaine Eisgrub Pinot Noir Terroir 2015, Mikulovská

Wie es für den ebenfalls wiederauferstandenen Leser nicht weiter verwunderlich sein dürfte, wird meine Zunge immer noch ab und an von „Pinots weit weg“ verwöhnt. Dieses Mal verschlägt es sie in das mährische Weinbaudorf Lednice im Dreiländereck Tschechien, Slowakei und Österreich. Lednice, bzw. auf Deutsch Eisgrub – was uns den Namen des Weinguts Domaine Eisgrub erklärt, ist in erster Linie für seinen prächtigen im neo-gothischen Stil erichteten Palast der nicht so ganz unbekannten Fürstenfamilie von Liechtenstein bekannt. Weinbau hat in dieser Region ebenfalls eine lange Tradition, die bis zu den Römern zurückreicht. Pinot Noir (aka Rulandské modré) ist neben St. Laurent, Zweigelt und Blaufränkisch die wichtigste rote Sorte im südlichen Mähren. Da mein Tschechisch genau so inexistent wie mein Polnisch ist, zieht sich glücklicherweise mein Einfürhrungstext nicht wieder in unerträgliche Längen. Was dies betrifft, sollte ich meine Zunge wohl öfters ins östliche Europa schicken. Wie dem auch sei - zum Wein ...!

Vinařství Krásná Hora Pinot Noir 2015, Morava

I love Prague! I still do … as it seems! Especially in summer! A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to reaffirm this love. I can't really tell you why exactly I love this surely beautiful city so much. Because beauty isn't everything! There are tons of beautiful places I've been to and many of them did not impress me that much. Perhaps it is the usual daze generated by highly unsensible amounts of cakes, coffee and high-voltage Absinth which might soften my ever critical personality. Noooo, I don't think sooo. I am not as critical as many people d'like to think. So, I assume it is this unusually relaxed – at least unusually relaxed for a large central European city, tranquil, serene and slightly morbid touch to this place which makes it so appealing to me. Well, of course tranquil and serene apart of those well known hords of bachelors from Germany, Britain and other palces in their Borat like swim suits and their slightly louder form of unconcious multilateral-communication. These performances are not so enormously appealing, I think. And there is  Franz and my everlasting love for his stories. And little Krtek the hero of my childhood. And, and, and ... So, I guess there are plenty of reasons to love Prague, but what on earth has this to do with wine!? Well, nothing at all! Or almost nothing at all! Well, in Prague I had the chance to hunt down a couple of bottles of Czech Pinot Noir which isn't that easy to find outside the country! And today I'd like to share the first of these bottles. Thanks to my total inability in the Czech language - by the way a very difficult language - I won't be able to jibber-jabber all to much about today's Pinot. What I can tell you is that it was produced by Vinařství Krásná Hora in Morava, more precise from Starý Poddvorov region, in the very south-east of the Czech Republic alongside the border to Austria and Slovakia. Krásná Hora is a very small family winery with approx. 5 ha. It was established in 2005 and produces wines from various Burgundian varietals as well as Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Muscat, Traminer and Zweigelt. All grapes are cultivated in accordance with organic principles and were grown on loess dominated soils. My Pinot Noir was aged in used oak barrels for round about 12 months. I guess, that is enough.Let's get started ...

Arte Vini PN Pinot Noir 2013, Morava

Ein Hauch von September 2008 weht derzeit über die Handelsparkette dieser Welt. Bei so manchem zur Hysterie neigendem Verhalten von Mensch und Algorithmus könnte es ratsam sein mehr Pinot Noir zu trinken ... bzw. vielleicht diesen selbigen auf entsprechende Server zu kippen. In besagtem September 2008 hat es mir sicherlich auf die eine oder andere Weise geholfen mit fest umklammertem Pinotglas diesen stürmischen Zeiten gelassener entgegen zu trinken. Naja ..., nachdem aber in den letzten Tagen viel Geld verbrannt wurde, unter anderem auch die Einlagen meiner imaginären „Pinot weit weg“-Kostenstelle, möchte ich mich in den kommenden Wochen etwas stärker auf Budget-„Pinots weit weg“ konzentrieren. Mein erster führte mich vor einigen Tagen nach Mähren. Klar, nicht sooo weit weg ..., aber trotz aller Nähe sind tschechische Weine in deutschen Landen kaum bekannt. Leider, denn dieser Südmähre zeigte solide, glücklicherweise sehr sehr trockene und auf ansprechende Weise ausbalancierte Qualitäten. Dazu aber gleich mehr. Hergestellt wurde besagter PN Pinot Noir 2013 von dem in Nový Šaldorf-Sedlešovice (oder in deutsch Neuschallersdorf-Edelspitz) ansässigen Weingut Arte Vini unter der Kellerregie des Geisenheim Absolventen René J. Vrátil. Und so war er mein erster Budget Pinot …

A true unknow wine region (to me): Ravis Rakvice Ryzlink Vlassky 2008, Morava

As far as I can remember - my first Czech Welschriesling! The material for this wine was grown in South Moravia close to the city of Velké Pavlovice. By far the most important wine growing region in the Czech Republic. The producer Ravis is one of the lager quality wine cellars in the country. A country much more famous for it’s fantastic beer, than for wine. Maybe a mistake!?! Let’s see what I saw in this one.

The colour appeared pretty transparent. I might reckon some yellow a green’ish reflexes. The fragrance was dominated by scents of superglue, weak petrol, some thyme, some melon and certain reminiscences of “breaking wind” experiences. The taste was very light and fresh. The actual concentration seemed to be rather good for a Welschriesling. It was not all too flat, faceless or simply boring. I can spot clear, maybe a bit weak, flavours of grapefruit, lemons and hints of various herbs. As I’ve already mentioned the expression wasn’t that impressive. Well, expressive impression - that has nothing to do with this very wine. For me the typical feature of Welschriesling. Not really boredom, but something close to that ...!  The quality of this wine was fair, but you should not expect something like a Rhine Riesling. Genetically those two varietals have not a lot in common. I think it was a decent piece of white stuff meant for early consumption. I guess one of the best Welschrieslings I ever had!