Wine Advocate (USA)

Insyde/ Februar 19, 2018/ International

Latest reviews – Stephan Reinhardt : Austrias finest fizzzzzzzz

„sometimes its worth it to present a single wine on its own. Ebner-Ebenauer´s Blanc de Blancs 2010 is one of them. It is simply one of the best if not the very best sparkling wine you can find in Austria. The 2008 was already gorgeous, and the 2010 is a worthy successor. New Year´s Eve can come!“

93 von 100    Blanc de Blancs Zero Dosage Vintage 2010

92+ von 100  Grüner Veltliner “Sauberg” 15

91-92 von 100  Grüner Veltliner „Black Edition“ 16

91 von 100    Grüner Veltliner „Alte Reben“ 16

91 von 100    Weißer Burgunder „Alte Reben“ 16

91 von 100    Grüner Veltliner „Bürsting“ 15

90-91 von 100  Chardonnay “Black Edition” 15

90 von 100    Grüner Veltliner “Sauberg” 16

90 von 100    Grüner Vetliner „Hermanchachern“ 15

Best of Austria | Best New Current Releases from Austria in 2015

94 von 100 Punkten Blanc de Blancs Zero Dosage Vintage 2008

It would be quite easy for me to draw a Champagne out of my fridge when I want to feel some bubbles on my tongue. However, I tasted this Austrian Chardonnay Sekt from the Weinviertel three times just to check if it’s really as good as I thought. It is. So guess what I am going to do after I finish this sentence with a question mark? Yesssss…!      #killingchampagne

A spectacular new kid on the block (not that many years ago) is Marion Ebner-Ebenauer, whose contagious passion, vitality and frankness is so Vienna-like, and whose autochthonous winemaking husband Manfred is as quiet as the region, would have probably remained without the creative energy, charm and laughing of his wife. Their stylish black-labeled wines from old Veltliner vines taste excellent and also the Pinot Noir Black Label is remarkable. The 2008 Extra Brut, however, is the finest sparkling wine I have ever had from Austria and underlines the great value of the Weinviertel for the Austrian sparkling wine production.

 

If there is something like Champagne outside of Champagne, it’s Ebner-Ebenauer’s 2008 Blanc de Blancs Zero Dosage, a golden-yellow colored sparkling wine from Austria’s Weinviertel north of Vienna. It is 100% late harvested Chardonnay fermented in used 500-liter Saury oak barrels, and disgorged after almost six years with no dosage and no sulfur in April 2015. This Austrian Sekt is deep, clear and freakishly complex on the vinous nose that displays aromas of russets, bread crust, ripe peaches, lemon skin and brioche. Wholemeal bread flavors on the very pure and dry as well as highly elegant palate, this is a full-bodied, well structured and salty sparkling wine with an unrivaled complexity and finesse. There is so much grip and pure expression in this wine that it’s indeed comparable only with finest Champagnes.

Marion and her winemaking Weinviertel-born husband Manfred Ebner-Ebenauer offer a very good range of single vineyard Grüner Veltliners, of which several are fermented partly or completely in 500-liter tonneaux; most of them are fermented spontaneously, which means without the addition of cultured yeasts. The most spectacular bottling, however, is the 2008 Blanc de Blancs Zero Dosage, an unsulfured Austrian Sekt that rivals the finest vintage Champagnes from the Côte des Blancs