Dorli Muhr, Carnuntum


Samt & Seide Blaufränkisch, 2016

12.5%

750 ml

Varietal: Blaufränkisch

Site & Soil
The grapes for this wine originate exclusively from south-facing slopes on the Spitzerberg in the winegrowing region Carnuntum. The Spitzerberg is the westernmost extension of the Carpathian Mountains; the core of the mountain is granite, and here the primordial sea has deposited a thick layer of limestone. In some spots one may even find some schist. The Spitzerberg is a protected nature preserve, being home to many rare and endangered plants that grow here on the barren rock, covered by only a scant layer of earth. The Spitzerberg is a very dry place, where abundant rock can be seen on the surface; rainfall during the year rarely exceeds 300–500 mm. These conditions are responsible for very small yields, and the wines are marked by minerality and usually become accessible only two to three years after harvest.

Harvest & Vinification
Dorli Muhr and Dirk van der Niepoort love the finesse and complexity of the limestone-sculpted Blaufränkisch wines, which can always be recognised by their dense yet fine structure, just like silk. When grapes from younger vines are used, the silky mineral structure is rounded out with soft and velvety body. Hence the name of this wine: Samt & Seide means Velvet & Silk, which is also a way to describe a generously rounded yet very elegant flavour.

The grapes for this wine grow on vines aged between ten and thirty years. They are harvested immediately after having reached full maturity, avoiding any jammy aromas and focussing on the brilliant fresh character of Blaufränkisch.

The grapes are vinified in a very gentle fashion, without any pumpover, not adding any cultured yeasts. The maceration is very slow and natural. All together, the winemaking is the same as that which was practiced many decades before. The wine matured in oak vats for sixteen months before it is released. The result is a wine that is characterised by deep and complex fruit aromas, a charming yet elegant Blaufränkisch driven by a refreshing acidity.


Vintage 2016
Finally, some water!, the vines sighed, because during the summer of 2016 we had some nice little bits of rainfall now and then, which helped the vines to relax after the stressful dry and extremely hot year 2015. For our work in the vineyards, the rain sometimes offered complications. Even greater, since 2016 was our first year of working with organic treatments! But the vines and the grapes really enjoyed the water. Maturing was slow but very steady, the
sugar content grew very slowly and stayed moderate, so that we could wait with the harvest until the second half of September and profit from a full aromatic maturation. The acidity was very fine and elegant, the grapes were healthy, nicely balanced and showed a very relaxed sense of flavour.

Production
12,000 bottles & 500 magnums

Reviews
The 2016 Prellenkirchen Blaufränkisch Samt & Seide is pure, fresh and very intense on the spicy and concentrated nose with its impressive black currant aromas that intermix with leafy underwood and lovely floral scents with more aeration. This is delicate and perfumed like a Burgundy, but it's from the Spitzerberg. Silky, lush and very elegant on the palate, this is a concentrated and powerful yet elegant and tightly woven Blaufränkisch of remarkable style and quality. Great finesse and vitality as well as mineral tension. The grapes for this Prellenkirchen village wine were sourced in all parcels of the Spitzerberg slope from east to west. The finish is fresh and remarkably pure and salty. Bottled in December 2017, this is probably the finest Samt & Seide Dorli Muhr has produced so far.” – Stephan Reinhardt, Robert Parker

A gentle touch of cinnamon informs the subdued but fresh cherry fruit on the nose. The palate confirms this gentle fresh fruitiness that seems almost shy and a little reticent. There is something honest, something charming and shy about this with its just-ripe fruit and its pervasive but gentle freshness. Just allow yourself to be won over by its spicy unobtrusive charm.” – Anne Krebiehl MW, Wine Enthusiast

Robert Parker: 93 points, Wine Enthusiast: 92 points, Falstaff: 92 points, James Suckling: 91 points,
Jancis Robinson: 17/20 points