2015 Kracher Trockenbeerenauslese #3 Zweigelt Nouvelle Vague Austria 375ml

  • 97WE TBA, World-Class Dessert Wine
  • 7x "Winemaker of the Year" fr. Wine Magazine
  • Challenges Yquem for Sweet Wine Supremacy 
  • BHW Has The Lowest Price Anywhere!
  • Free shipping on 6 or more bottles

About the Winery

There are no secrets to the production of Kracher’s unparalleled range of remarkable sweet wines, headlined each year by up to a dozen or more trockenbeerenauslese cuvées. For three generations the Kracher family has led the way in the Seewinkel, that corner (Winkel) of Austria to the east of Lake Neusiedl, just an hour’s drive from Vienna. It was Alois Kracher Senior, back in the ‘50s and ‘60s who first realized the potential of the area for quality wine growing. Then in 1991, Alois Junior (Luis) set the world on fire with his ‘new’ style of dessert wine, focusing on finesse and balance in addition to just outright sweetness. From there he went on to win the British Wine Journal’s ‘Winemaker of the Year’ title 5 times, before his untimely passing in 2007.

“Luis” Kracher was one of the greatest visionaries in winemaking and was a driving force behind the “Austrian wine wonder” during the 1990s and a motor behind the renaissance of noble sweet wines. The whole wine world mourned the premature death of Luis, who – as a trained chemist – began his winemaking career at his father’s estate aged twenty-two years old.

He created a new style of dessert wine, in which the fruit character, finesse, and balance of the wine were far more important than just mere sweetness. The 1991 vintage brought Kracher his first international acclaim, and shortly afterward, his name would become synonymous with cult sweet wines, especially in America. 

Zwischen den Seen "in between the lakes" are the wines aged in wood barrels or tanks, and under long yeast, contact to deliver fresh, fruity wines with grape aromas. The Nouvelle Vague wines are aged in small barrels and allowed to interact with air during the aging process. The Nouvelle Vague are vivid and lively in taste, these wines show a spicy depth and length.

The dessert wines from Kracher are now widely considered some of the finest "Stickies" or sweet wines in the world. In fact, the Kracher wines have bested the noble (and much, much more expensive) Chateau d'Yquem Sauternes in numerous blind tastings. These wines are bright fresh and a true celebration to drink and enjoy. Kracher sweet wines are also incredibly interesting and delicious to drink following extended aging; they are built to last generations.

If you love sweet wines, these are some of the finest sweet wines available anywhere. BHW has the best price in the US.

About the Wine

Grape Variety: 100% Zweigelt
Residual Sugar: 208.1 g/L
Acidity: 7.2 g/L
Alcohol: 9.5%
Vinification: 
Fermented and matured in new oak barrels for a period of 16 months

Tasting notes: Sweet Wine. 100% Zweigelt. Bright golden-yellow. Bouquet of meadow herbs, delicate notes of stone fruit, and lychee. The palate is fresh and vibrant, with nuances of pineapple, and tropical fruit notes on the finish, complemented with a hint of honey in the aftertaste. Good grip.

Reviews

Szechuan pepper, cold smoke, and autumn leaves on the nose lead onto a lusciously sweet palate of baked plum. This is vicious and fluid, rich and brooding, with echoes of molasses and maple syrup but something hauntingly peppery and hotly shimmering in the background. Pepper and plum dominate the finish of this most unusual Zweigelt TBA. Drink until 2040, at least. ~97WE

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