Some notes from a tasting earlier this year hosted by Bert Salomon. Each Salomon wine has the closure type listed at the start of the note. Bert stated that he thought the glass closure and screwcap are in technical terms almost equal, but the glass stopper is emotionally better and he will be going forward with increasing amounts of glass stoppers over the coming vintages.
Salomon Austrian Whites:
2005 Salomon Undhof Hochterrassen Gruner Veltliner
Screwcap. Pale straw colour. White pepper, lilies, chalk and grapefruit on the nose. Palate is clean and crisp, a little short and simple, but it has nice balance and it was certainly very easy and enjoyable to drink.
86/100
2003 Salomon Undhof Lindberg Reserve Gruner Veltliner
Cork. A mature but enjoyable nose of pine nuts, honey and toast. Creamy palate with some spice to the finish, lacking a bit of focus though. Drink now.
83/100
2005 Salomon Undhof Kremser Kogl Riesling
Glass. Pale colour. On the nose, sourdough, florals and apple. Palate has good fruit sweetness with some crisp acid driving the line and focus into the finish. Seemed like it would be best drunk now.
86/100
2005 Salomon Undhof Kogl Kremser Reserve Riesling
Glass. Nose is wound up tightly, with some spice and lemon coming through with vigorous swirling. Palate is richer and the palate slightly longer than the standard release. Needs time, but should be very good.
88/100
1993 Salomon Undhof Kogl Library Reserve Riesling
Cork. Amazing colour, it looks the same as the '05s next to it! Aromas of lemon, earth, roses with some kerosene and lots of toast. Lovely creamy texture on the delicate palate. Acid is well integrated but still carries through the length of the wine. Should drink very well over the next 5 years.
90/100
2003 Salomon Undhof Von Stein Reserve Gruner Veltliner
Cork. Slate, citrus peel, peaches and spice on the nose. Great richness and spice to the palate, with good acid providing some focus and stopping the richness from being overwhelming. Excellent length. Very enjoyable.
89/100
Salomon Australian Reds:
2004 Salomon Norwood Shiraz Cabernet Merlot
Cork. Blackberry, mint, spice and cherry nose. Medium bodied palate, smooth and with well integrated oak. Drink now.
86/100
2004 Salomon Finniss River Shiraz
Cork. Smoky, meaty, red berries and cherry with a splash of background oak. Savoury, medium bodied palate with decent depth of fruit and good length. Well balanced and should improve over the next 5 years and drink well for the next 10 years.
88/100
2004 Salomon Fleurieu Shiraz Viognier
Glass. Violets and other florals, pepper, meat and a touch of apricot. Palate is fresh and vibrant with good length and tannins in the background providing good structure. Good length finish and drinking well now for my taste.
87/100
2004 Salomon Finniss River Cabernet Sauvignon
Cork. Briar, tobacco, blue bubblegum/blueberry. Mouth coating flavour on the palate without being at all over the top. Nicely textured with good grip from the tannin. Should get better given 5 more years in the bottle.
88/100
Kracher Austrian Sweet Wines:
2005 Kracher Cuvee Beerenauslese
Green apples, peaches and pears with a browned butter on toast character. The palate is brilliant, sweet but with cutting acidity following the sweetness and cleansing the palate. Absolutely delicious.
91/100
2004 Kracher Cuvee Eiswein
Light straw colour. A fresh nose of nectarine, honey and orange peel. Lightly sweet palate with clean sweetness and refreshing acidity. Medium length. Simple but enjoyable.
88/100
2003 Kracher Trockenbeerenauslese #1 Nouvelle Vague
The only TBA produced by Kracher in 2003 due to a very difficult vintage. Light golden coloured. Intoxicating aromas of vanilla, shortbread, butterscotch and peaches. The palate is nothing short of magnificent. Beautiful balance between intense sweetness and acidity. The finish is incredibly lengthy. I think that in 10 years time this could be even better but it is superb now as well.
94/100