2019 Kracher Trockenbeerenauslese No. 5 Grande Cuvée Nouvelle Vague

Kracher is the reference when it comes to superlative dessert wines from Austria. Kracher makes a very wide range of dessert wines in Burgenland, including at the Neusiedlersee where spectacular botrytis wines can be made. For three generations, the Kracher family has been producing unique wines, recognized by the greatest international critics. The British magazine "Wine" has voted Kracher nine times as "Sweet Winemaker of the Year" and the German magazine Feinschmecker also voted him "Winemaker" in 2017 of the year". Kracher is the first Austrian wine on the "Place de Bordeaux" and then right with one of the best sweet wines in the world: Kracher TBA "Grande Cuvée" 2019. This wine is the flagship of the estate and is a blend of Welschriesling (60 %) and Chardonnay (40%). Trockenbeerenauslese, abbreviated TBA, is a quality predicate (quality class) for wine. Called Qualitätswein mit Prädikat in Germany. This wine is made from grapes affected by the gray mold Botrytis cinerea. The fungus, often mistaken for rot by laymen, is also called noble rot. In German speaking areas this is called Edelfäule. In France, this rot is known as pourriture noble.

The Wine Advocate gave 98/100: “By mixing 60% Welschriesling vinified in Slavonian oak barrels of 1,000 and 1,500 liters and 40% Chardonnay aged in barriques, the Trockenbeerenauslese No. 5 Grande Cuvée Nouvelle Vague 2019 with a clear and concentrated, noble and finely roasted bouquet of ripe and stewed peaches and quinces with refreshing lemon juice and very fine toast aromas. On the palate this is a rich and generous but very refined and elegant TBA with a long, intense and salty finish revealing very fine cumquat bitters. This is a beautifully balanced and extremely long TBA with very fine tannins and cedarwood notes. A beauty of great complexity and enormous aging potential. 10% certified alcohol. Natural cork.

James Suckling gave 98/100: “A fabulously concentrated and beautifully balanced TBA, this is like diving into a fjord of tropical fruits (both fresh and dried), with the vibrant acidity and salty minerality just offsetting the lusciousness. Very long, creamy and full finish. A truly grand cuvee of 60% Welschriesling and 40% Chardonnay. Drink or hold".