First the whites:
Domäne Müller Der Pinot Gris Ried Burgegg 1993 - Deutschlandsberg, Weststeiermark, label
Strange scent: it seems only like Barrique yet others thought it had no wood at all. Much better palate: citric, crisp, high acidity, more like Riesling than any PG I have had.
Domäne Müller Der Pinot Gris Ried Burgegg 1997 - Deutschlandsberg, Weststeiermark, label
Also an aroma of new wood + age and little sign of the grape, but neither did it seem like it was too old. Again, lovely acidity, really a refreshing drop - shame about the nose and the slight heat on the finish.
Domäne Müller Der Pinot Gris Ried Burgegg 2005 - Deutschlandsberg, Weststeiermark, label
The youngest of the Müllers was seemingly the least oaky and most like PG in my previous experience with aromas of glue and spice and red fruit. I thought I sensed a touch of oak on the palate, however, rich and creamy but with very good acidity.
Weingut Hirtzberger Grauburgunder Smaragd 2007 - Spitzer Puris, Wachau, label
A lighter, more appley style than the Müllers, but with all the typical heavy and spicy aromas I have come to expect from the grape in Alsace. There is perhaps a touch of RS, but it has good acidity and is an elegant style quite like the dry ones from Alsace. Very good.
Weingut Bercher Burkheimer Schlossgarten Grauer Burgunder Spätlese Trocken 2006 - Kaiserstuhl, Baden, Germany, label
This was perhaps my favourite of the PGs tonight: elegant, very mineral aromas; dry, strong acid but not harsh at all, the richness inherent in the grape is kept under restraints and the way it continually tries to break loose makes this a very exciting drink. Gladly it never does break away, so it is taut throughout.
Weingut Stelzer Grauer Burgunder Halbtrocken 2007 - Alzey-Heimersheim, Rheinhessen, Germany, label
Vegetal aromas, very open and spicy; slightly sweet but with enough acidity to counter it. It is pleasant but simple and one dimensional. But for something far cheaper than the others in the tasting (4,5€ IIRC) one can't be too harsh!
Then the red wines:
Schloss Gobelsburg Merlot "Privatkeller" 2004 - Langenlois, Kamptal, label
It smells of oak disguising itself as chocolate behind which slight whiffs of dark, scorched fruit can be found if one looks hard enough. Soft, sweetish fruit, far too much oak.
Weingut Willi Opitz Merlot "Silver Lake" 2005 - Illmitz, Neusiedlersee, label
A little reductive at first, but becomes a pure and unspoofulated and pleasant drop: bright red fruit, some herbaceous character, pleasantly bittersweet. Lovely, high acidity, refreshingly crisp palate with purity of fruit. I like it. Terrible label, though.
Rotweingut Iby Merlot Rager 2006 - Horitschon, Mittelburgenland, label
Dark fruit, a touch of oak, not as toasty as the Gobelsburg, but still in such amounts that I wasn't too keen. Soft, easy palate, not much excitement but correct.
Weingut Paul Achs Merlot 2006 - Gols, Neusiedlersee, label
Smells a bit like plastic on opening; clears up to have dark fruit of considerable depth, some pleasant herbaceous aromas, complex, gains sweet aromas (strawberry) with air. Pleasantly sweet fruit, easier on the oak than most reds tonight though it is still noticeable, good and refreshing structure. Amazingly this is supposed to have 15% abv - one of the handful of wines where such levels haven't bothered me.
Rotweingut Iby Merlot Rager 2007 - Horitschon, Mittelburgenland, label
Quite a different aroma from the 2006 a couple glasses earlier: much oak, chocolate, coffee - unpleasant. Dense, rich, good structure, but marred by the massive oak.
Weingut Vylyan Villányi Merlot 2006 - DHC Villányi, Hungary, label
Very sweet with a pronounced dried fruit character, porty and scorched, but gladly no new oak that I can sense. Rich, a bit sweet, tannic yet hollow. Certainly "different" but I think more in its euphemistic sense.
Then the blind wines:
Ch. Cheval Blanc 2001 - label
Herbaceous, tobacco aromas, nice Cab Franc-like freshness in addition to the dark fruit. Rich, more typical of Merlot than the scent which was more CF, good structure, very full bodied. Classy.
Feiler-Artinger Hochzeitswein 2003 - Rust, label
The F-A version of Cheval Blanc, with a roughly similar cépage. Sadly, where the Cheval Blanc's admittedly still strong oak seemed harmonious with all else in the wine, here the chocolate and coffee aromas overwhelmed all else. Sweet and soft but with fair acidity for the year.
Feiler-Artinger Ruster Ausbruch Essenz "Jonathan" 2005 - Rust, label
430 g/l RS, 6,5% abv. So massive its apricot jam aromas and so sweet and so acidic that it was just too much. It was tiring and clunky. One sip was interesting and fun; I couldn't manage more.
Heinrich Blaufränkisch 2008 - Burgenland, label
Nice, bright red aromas; high acidity, wonderfully refreshing. Nice stuff.
Weingärtner Brackenheim Brackenheimer Zweifelberg Lemberger Spätlese Trocken 2008 - Württemberg, label
Sweet and juicy, quite simple but clean scent. Seems more off-dry than Trocken, but with enough acidity that it makes for a decent enough drop.