Alois Kracher TBA #5 Nouvelle Vague / 2022 / 375mL

Description:

The Alois Kracher TBA No. 5 Nouvelle Vague 2022 is a botrytis Trockenbeerenauslese from Neusiedlersee-Burgenland, made from Rosenmuskateller and matured in oak, and it arrives in a deep brick-red rather than the gold you might expect from a sweet wine. Sweetness is the starting point, not the whole story: this is a dense, perfumed half bottle built on red fruit, spice and salt.

The nose runs to candied cherry, blood orange peel and dried rose, with nougat, toast and a dusting of nutmeg sitting underneath. On the palate the fruit is glacé and concentrated, yet the wine moves quickly, more silk than syrup, with peach and caramel arriving late.

Richness here is held in check by fine acidity, a savoury saline edge and the lightest brush of tannin from the red grapes and the barrel. The finish is long, spiced and dry-edged, which is what stops a wine this sweet from cloying. The 2022 season in the Seewinkel helped: an early budbreak, a cool May and a warm, sunny summer set up clean, ideal botrytis, and the wine has clarity to match its concentration.

A 375mL bottle is the right size for two people and a cheese course. Pour it with a washed-rind or blue cheese, dark chocolate and cherry desserts, or almond and stone fruit tarts, and serve it lightly chilled rather than cold.

Drinking beautifully now, though it will reward a decade or more in the cellar. Keep in mind that a half bottle matures faster than a 750mL, so this format will show its savoury, aged character sooner.