WTN: Two Natural Austrian Red Wines....(short/boring)

Tried these two new natural wines w/ Susan this weekend:
1. Christina Zweigelt Weinland/Austria (12%; www.christinawines.com/; Jenny & Francois Slctns/NY) Weingut Franz Netzl/Gottlesbrunn/Carnuntum/Austria 2020: Very dark color; rather strong earthy/loamy/root cellar some funky/natty/unclean some plummy/boysenberry/Zweigelt rather rustic/bit coarse nose; some tart/tangy quite earthy/loamy some funky/natty/rusticslight plummy/Zweigelt/boysenberry flavor w/ light rough/coarse tannins; long bit plummy/boysenberry/licorice/Zweigelt quite earthy/loamy/Kansas root cellar rough/coarse finish w/ light coarse tannins; a bit too earthy/loamy & not much fruit to my taste; not a particularly attractive Austrian red, a bit on the ugly side, more like a rustic Southern Italian red. $19.50 (KK)
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2. Christina St.Laurent Weinland/Austria (11.5%) 2020: Med.color; somewhat fragrant cherry/Pinotish light pencilly/oak some earthy/loamy pleasant enough nose; fairly tart/tangy some earthy/loamy light Pinotish/StLaurent/black cherry/plummy light pencilly/oak bit coarse/rustic flavor w/ light bit chewey tannins; med.long rather Pinotish/cherry/plummy light pencilly/oak some earthy/loamy bit rustic finish w/ light some smooth tannins; a pleasant enough rather Pinotish expression of St.Laurent; a bit on the rustic side but very little natty character. $20.50 (KK)
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Christina Netzl is a producer of natural wines in the Carnuntum region of Austria on the Panonian Plains. I've had her skin-contact Gruner & her Orange Chard, neither of which I found very appealing. Of these two reds, the Zweigelt was dominated by the earthy/loamy character w/ not much fruit. The St.Laurent was the best of her wines I've tried, pleasant enough but just that. Her wines show a bit of a natty character, but not enough to make them unpleasant.
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2. Again...we are told that natural winemaking allows the wine's terroir to shine thru. I've not seen that much in any natural wines I've tried. Mostly they speak of inept winemaking. Maybe, just maybe, SweetAlice is full of it??
Tom

1 - I have always been lukewarm about St. Laurent. Some decent wines but a low percentage bet for anything outstanding turning up. We have one winery that grows it in BC but none have impressed me. Nit saying it can't be done, just that I haven't seen it happen.

2 - I agree with your point 2. 'Natural winemaking' is too often heralding wines I do not like, cloudy, odd colours and all. And I tried, I really tried. Bought a mixed case of 'orange' wine made here and found them without exception to be mundane , none rising to a level that I would waste cellar space on them.

1 - I have always been lukewarm about St. Laurent. Some decent wines but a low percentage bet for anything outstanding turning up. We have one winery that grows it in BC but none have impressed me. Nit saying it can't be done, just that I haven't seen it happen.

2 - I agree with your point 2. 'Natural winemaking' is too often heralding wines I do not like, cloudy, odd colours and all. And I tried, I really tried. Bought a mixed case of 'orange' wine made here and found them without exception to be mundane , none rising to a level that I would waste cellar space on them.

Well, Bill....some of the St.Laurents from Calif (mostly RicciVnyd/Carneros) are pretty good. Forlorn-Hope & Solminer.
But not had a St.Laurent that has blown me away. Many from Austria tend to be pretty oaky.
I'm a pretty adventuresome wine drinker. Always wanting to try something different. Which is why I keep beating my
head against the natural wine wall. One can always hope.
Bear in mind that orange wines are not the same thing as natural wines. Though there is considerable overlap...many natural white wines
are made as skin-contact wines.
Tom

[Jenise]

One St. Laurent blew me away: a Cruze pet-nat. STUNNING. One of the best non-Champagne sparkling wines I've ever had.

Again...we are told that natural winemaking allows the wine's terroir to shine thru. I've not seen that much in any natural wines I've tried. Mostly they speak of inept winemaking. Maybe, just maybe, SweetAlice is full of it??

Well, you did use the terms "earthy" and "loamy" in your tasting notes. Maybe the terroir is literally shining through?

-Paul W.

[David M. Bueker]

Again...we are told that natural winemaking allows the wine's terroir to shine thru. I've not seen that much in any natural wines I've tried. Mostly they speak of inept winemaking. Maybe, just maybe, SweetAlice is full of it??

Well, you did use the terms "earthy" and "loamy" in your tasting notes. Maybe the terroir is literally shining through?

-Paul W.

Shhh…you’ll disrupt the narrative.