2013 Weingut Prieler, Blaufränkisch, Johanneshole, Burgenland Austria.
The beautiful and stylish Prieler Johanneshole Blaufrankisch 2013 reveals the near perfect vintage and terroir expression with layers of blue and red fruits, mineral notes and earthy spices. Georg and his wife Silvia, who has worked at Burgundy’s Domaine Dujac, make some of Austria’s best under the radar wines, with a great lineup of Blaufrankisch, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and a gorgeous Blaufrankisch Rose. This Burgenland estate, like Burgundy, does village wines and single Cru offerings and in certain years such as 2013, which I believe maybe the best year I’ve ever tasted in Austrian wine in my 16 years of reviewing, the basic wines are not too far off the Cru bottlings, this is partitularly true of the 2013 Johanneshole Blaufrankisch, making it an exceptional value. The 2013 Prieler Johanneshole was fermented and raised in large neutral oak cask, where as the Cru wines age in small French Barrique, both are glorious examples of great Blaufrankisch, it is just that for around $20 the Johanneshole is a steal and more ready to drink. The nose has a floral tone and light perfume quality along with black raspberry, wild herbs and olive note leading to a rich and vibrant palate, the thing about 2013 the year is that it delivered wonderful ripe flavors, but gave thrilling acidity and mineral detail, and this shines through in Prieler’s wines, especially in this Johanneshole. The palate gives black cherry, plum, saddle leather, fig, a hint of bacon, tangy red currant and a trace of baking spices, anise, truffle and sensual earthiness. The medium full bodied Blaufrankisch flows with smooth tannins and has the impression of density without heaviness and it balances the sweetness of fruit with lovely savory elements, this is a stunning and expressive red from Prieler, drink over the next 3 to 5 years. Look for this and all the 2013 Prieler wines, the whites are worth looking for in 2013, 2014 and 2015, plus the 2015 Rose is killer!
($20 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive
