I spent an hour at the presentation of '100 top vineyard sites' during VieVinum in Vienna last month. It was a joint presentation of like minded German and Austrian producers whose idea it is to have a common Germanic conception of Grand and Premier Cru, similar to that in Burgundy. Even Alsace had apparently considered introducing Premiers Crus, but has to date instead chosen to add a second roster of Grands Crus. Showing a younger and a more mature wine in each case, it was an enlightening tasting and highlighted these wines' potential to age gracefully in bottle. Many owners present spoke of preferring to drink drier wines much older than the average consumer might imagine. Interestingly, though, Lukas Pichler indicated that the Wachau is not thinking of instigating such a hierarchy of vineyards, perhaps because they have been so successful with Smaragd. This story, however, has yet to truly unfold… Comments