Alois Kracher TBA

WINE TALK
1

Anyone have experience with this producer? I picked up a 1998 Alois Kracher Welschriesling TBA #6 Zwischen den Seen and the CT notes are all over the board. Some say it will hold for decades and others say it was already over the hill a decade ago. Looking at notes on the #4 and #11 it’s kind of the same thing.

2

We really need Steve Nordhoff to see this thread, he knows his Kracher.

I had them 3 times ranging from 15 to 25 years old. I really think it’s a function of your palate (like older viscous sweet wine) and the amount of acid in the wine. The 2005 which I tasted in 2016 was very dark for it’s age, IMHO, and didn’t seem long for this world based on the acidity.

I love dried apricots so this is in my wheelhouse.

Karcher (Welschriesling) reminds me of more Tokaji (Furmint) that sits in the middle between Sauternes and PX (Pedro Ximénez) on the two ends of spectrum.


Amber color with dried apricot nose and palate. Silky, sweet and delicious. Nice glycerin mouthfeel on the finish.

Posted from CellarTracker

3

Due to the sugar levels involved, they’re generally built for the long haul. The last one I had (07 Zwischen den Seen #11), the bottle was best after 2 weeks in the fridge, half consumed.

  • 2007 Alois Kracher Welschriesling TBA #11 Zwischen den Seen - Austria, Burgenland, Neusiedlersee (9/26/2019)
    Maple syrup-like in consistency. Wow, sweet sweet sweet. Tight and other than some botrytis spice, it’s a bit reticent on the plate, and Perhaps not as much acid as one would hope for. A teaspoon is all you need.

Edit: 2 weeks later in the fridge, the wine has uncoiled a bit and is a bit more giving of golden raisin, pineapple and candied citrus. Feels more balanced and less sugary. (90 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

4

Kracher keeps a deep cellar and releases a big batch of wines 20 years after vintage. I visited the estate in Nov 2018 and tasted through the entire lineup of 1998 TBAs. It was a great chance to dial in the differences between the grapes, élevage, sugar and acid levels.

My takeaways (from memory) were:

  • 20 years is no problem for these wines. Most have plenty of years left
  • For me, acid level was a much better metric for differentiation and preference than sugar level. They publish these #s on the website. 8+ acidity was my happy place
  • I found equal pleasure in the Nouvelle Vague and Zwischen den seen styles
  • Welschriesling works very well with this wine style. The only one that I consistently preferred was the welschriesling/Chardonnay blend
5

I’ve really enjoyed the Kracher TBAs I’ve had, which have had 5-20 years on them. They are beautiful and indulgent and unusual. I have seen, and heard from others, that there have been problems with a few prematurely aged bottles, and the fact that there are so many different wines released each vintage makes it hard to track any one with much reliability. I will say that a Kracher TBA from 2005 is in my top 5 wines I’ve ever tasted. I always buy them when the price is right and have never been disappointed. I will say that yours is almost certainly “ready”.

6

1998 should be consumed I would think. I like these at 12-15 years best, but much depends on the bottling and the varietal. The Nouvelle wines ar all done in (mostly new?) barrel and the Zwischen den Seen are done in stainless tank. Agree with Joe, the more acid the better.

7

I found my notes from the tasting. A few more comments:

  • the directional comments in my prior post aren’t fully predictive; there are plenty of inconsistencies with the generalities to the point where each wine justifies individual assessment
  • I gave the scheurebe (#3) high marks in addition to the welschriesling (#4) and the Chardonnay/welschriesling (#7)
  • I didn’t take a detailed note on #6 or #11 so nothing more to share there

Good luck !

Joe