There was a nice leg of lamb roasting in the oven and I wanted to find a red S to go with it, so I set off to a local independent wine & food shop to see if they had anything interesting from Tuscany. My target was Sangiovese, probably from Chianti, but instead if found an Austrian wine made from St Laurent.
This a grape I have read about, but don't recall ever having tasted it. That made it an obvious candidate for this week's wine so I bought it.
Week S (2014) is Gesellmann St Laurent, Burgenland 2009. £14 No.2 Pound Street.
It is a bright ruby in colour and the leading aroma is red cherries. I found the acidity to be quite high, but not unpleasant, and the overall impression is of a refreshing, light fruity red wine.
I have read that St Laurent can produce results much like Pinot Noir, but I would compare it more to a Gamay (Beaujolais) or even Cabernet Franc.
It is dry (1.2 g/ltr residual sugar) and 13.5% abv.
Burgenland, where it was made, is in the east of Austria towards the border with Hungary, but the winemaker, Albert Gesellmann, trained and worked in both South Africa and California bringing international experience back to the region where this grape has been vinified since the days of the Austrian empire.
It is fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks, with the must being pumped over the cap 2 to 4 times daily, until it is ready to start its malolactic fermentation in large oak barrels.
The grapes were picked in September 2009, from vines between 38 and 60 years old, but the wine was not bottled until April 2011 and therefore it has had around 18 months to develop in wood and a further 3 years in glass before I tasted it.
It was pleasant and enjoyable, but something a little fuller may have been a better choice for the lamb.
This a grape I have read about, but don't recall ever having tasted it. That made it an obvious candidate for this week's wine so I bought it.
Week S (2014) is Gesellmann St Laurent, Burgenland 2009. £14 No.2 Pound Street.It is a bright ruby in colour and the leading aroma is red cherries. I found the acidity to be quite high, but not unpleasant, and the overall impression is of a refreshing, light fruity red wine.
I have read that St Laurent can produce results much like Pinot Noir, but I would compare it more to a Gamay (Beaujolais) or even Cabernet Franc.
It is dry (1.2 g/ltr residual sugar) and 13.5% abv.
Burgenland, where it was made, is in the east of Austria towards the border with Hungary, but the winemaker, Albert Gesellmann, trained and worked in both South Africa and California bringing international experience back to the region where this grape has been vinified since the days of the Austrian empire.
It is fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks, with the must being pumped over the cap 2 to 4 times daily, until it is ready to start its malolactic fermentation in large oak barrels.
The grapes were picked in September 2009, from vines between 38 and 60 years old, but the wine was not bottled until April 2011 and therefore it has had around 18 months to develop in wood and a further 3 years in glass before I tasted it.
It was pleasant and enjoyable, but something a little fuller may have been a better choice for the lamb.
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