2010 Chardonnay Trockenbeerenauslese #9 Nouvelle Vague

A generation ago, Austria was known internationally, if at all, for its Ausbruch, the local name for wines with the ripeness and density of Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese. After the scandal in 1985, many estates turned their backs on the production of such wines. Not so Alois Kracher, who instead made them the focus of all of his energy. Almost single-handedly he rekindled interest in a style that finds its purest expression in those vineyards under the influence of the warm, moist autumn climate generated by Lake Neusiedl. His son Gerhard has been responsible for the estate since his father's untimely death in 2007 and has done a better job of embellishing his father's vision than anyone would have thought possible at the time. Colleagues have described it as Sauternes without the wood. As Kracher makes two styles, that is not quite the case. Zwischen den Seen, or between the seas, is the traditional style; Nouvelle Vague, or new wave, is the French interpretation. I often drink most of these wines with more pleasure than Sauternes because at 7% to 11% they are more charming. In Sauternes, producers accept higher alcohols in order to have less residual sugar. Each year, all of the Trockenbeerenausleses are numbered, with the lowest numbers being the ones Kracher thinks are the best. (www.kracher.at) Also recommended: 2012 Pinot Gris (85), 2010 Zweigelt (85), 2011 Auslese Cuvee (88), 2012 Zweigelt Beerenauslese (88).