"Kracher's latest Trockenbeerenauslesen (TBA) come from the COVID vintage of 2020, which, however, will soon be remembered among wine lovers rather as a great sweet wine vintage (at least in Burgenland). Whether it is truly unparalleled in history, as is believed at the Kracher Weinlaubenhof in Illmitz, we should decide in 10 or 20 years. As in previous years, this vintage was also marked by extreme heat and drought. The small lacken (lakes) in the Seewinkel region had all dried up, and the water level of Lake Neusiedl was constantly decreasing. Thanks to the lower-lying, moist meadows of the national park, botrytis also came in 2020 and led to a selection of six numbered Trockenbeerenauslesen (TBA) wines chez Kracher plus a superb Cuvée Beerenauslese. More than ever, Kracher's noble sweet wines from the 2020 vintage are characterized by a fine, salty minerality. "This salt comes from Lake Neusiedl," Kracher believes. "The lake was far larger 2,000 or more years ago than it is now, and as it retreated to its current size, it left salt and minerals in our soils." The small lakes, he says, after drying out completely in the middle of the year, left behind "a white, salty layer" that "was carried into our vineyards by the wind. As a result, our 2020s show tremendous vibrancy and unprecedented freshness." They are very elegant and perfectly balanced as well as fascinatingly clear, precise and stimulating—which are rare characteristics in noble sweet wines but crucial ones when it comes to the world's finest botrytis wines. The new collection eschews Muscat Ottonel and pure Chardonnay. "Muscat Ottonel has extremely thick skins, which become even thicker in hot and dry years. This makes it even harder than usual for botrytis to penetrate the skins. In the end, the concentration here was unfortunately not enough to obtain a Trockenbeerenauslese," Kracher explains. In contrast, the Chardonnay had problems with wind and rain during the 2020 flowering, which significantly reduced the yield. Therefore, all the Chardonnay went into the Grande Cuvée, which then turned out furious, however. The 2020 harvest began on October 11 for the botrytis wines and was completed on December 21. In total, each vineyard was harvested five to six times, always when the botrytis was fresh and the grapes had just dried up. On January 7, 2021, the last ice wine from the Weinlaubenhof was harvested, which has been marketed as a 2020, of course. (I reported about the 2020 Grüner Veltliner Eiswein last year.) Compared to the still somewhat more lush 2019s, Kracher's 2020s are even finer, clearer, more radiant and saltier. And they are already dangerously animating... This year Kracher has also re-released some of his 2013 and 1998 TBAs, both superb botrytis vintages with numerous highlights." so Stephan Reinhardt von The Wine Advocate über die bewerteten Weine.
Anbei finden Sie eine Übersicht über alle Bewertungen:
Kracher Kollektion 2020
98 Punkte • 2020 TBA No. 4 Grande Cuvée Nouvelle Vague
97+ Punkte • 2020 TBA No. 6 Welschriesling Zwischen den Seen
97 Punkte • 2020 TBA No. 5 Rosenmuskateller Nouvelle Vague
96 Punkte • 2020 TBA No. 3 Scheurebe Zwischen den Seen
96 Punkte • 2020 TBA No. 2 Traminer Nouvelle Vague
95+ Punkte • 2020 TBA No. 1 Zweigelt Nouvelle Vague
weitere Weine
98 Punkte • 1998 TBA No. 7 Chardonnay/Welschriesling Nouvelle Vague
97 Punkte • 2013 TBA No. 8 Scheurebe Zwischen den Seen
97 Punkte • 2013 TBA No. 7 Welschriesling Zwischen den Seen
97 Punkte • 1998 TBA No. 5 Muskat Ottonel Zwischen den Seen
96 Punkte • 1998 TBA No. 3 Scheurebe Zwischen den Seen
95 Punkte • 2013 TBA No. 4 Welschriesling Zwischen den Seen
95 Punkte • 2020 Beerenauslese Rosenmuskateller "Red Roses"
94+ Punkte • 2020 Beerenauslese Cuvée
93 Punkte • 2021 Beerenauslese Zweigelt
93 Punkte • 2018 K
92 Punkte • 2018 Chardonnay Kreuz
91 Punkte • 2022 Auslese Zweigelt
91 Punkte • 2021 Auslese Muskat Ottonel
90 Punkte • 2021 Pinot Gris Reserve
Wir freuen uns sehr über die herausragenden Bewertungen, vor die der Kracher Kollektion 2020 sowie auch der erneuten Bewertung der älteren Jahrgänge.