Achs Paul - Vievinum 2010
Paul is a Blaufränkisch specialist and his wines are noticeably more structured than those of Gernot Heinrich his Burgenland neighbor. The various Blaufränkisch bottlings especially require some special care if drinking them young. I would definitely recommend passing these back and forth between two decanters before serving them and if you're pouring by-the-glass these in a restaurant the bottles will have to be double decatned. That being said, the Austiran Reds (Blaufränkisch, St-Laurent, and Zweiglet), plus the Pinot Noir, and Pannobile* are some of the most serious, full-bodied, and vinous, you're likely to find in the Burgenland. We also sampled the 2008 Paul Achs "AchsWeiss" during lunch this day. This is 100% Sauvignon Blanc (some skin-contact) produced from a single 1200 liter barrel. In most vintages it is varietaly labeled but in this vintage Paul found the wine too reductive and "weird" and he declassified it to a simple "Weiss" (white wine) designation. I found this wine, however, to be ripe yet dry, loaded tropical fruit, juicy acidity, and found the perfect foil to a potato cream soup with pork belly.
*a note about Pannobile: The Pannobile group is an association of nine growers in Gols that was formed to produce a great regional wine. Each producer comes up with a blend (the varietal composition can vary), and then a Pannobile designation is decided by unanimous vote of the group. They are almost always blended wines and the wine can be either red or white. No international varietals are permitted except for Chardonnay and Pinot Gris for the white and Pinot Noir for the red. All of the fruit most come from Pannobile classified vineyards in Gols.
