Umathum Ried Hallebuhl 2005

Received this bottle as a gift from a friend. It is my first experience with an Austrian red wine and what a lovely encounter it was. This is a red blend where Zweigelt is the majority grape variety.

Umathum Ried Hallebuhl Burgenland 2005

The wine has a lovely dark red, garnet color. A well developed, elegant and complex nose of great intensity, constantly evolving and giving new aromas; it was even more interesting on the second day. On the first day the fruity aromas of fresh dark cherries are very pure and more intense, but on the second day the wine shows its real complexity with its tobacco, cedar, gamey and smokey dark cherries. On the palate it is full and has a darker character, good concentration, with fine grained tannins and a great structure. Dense flavors of coffee, tobacco and black fruit along some hints of minerality, with a long finish. I liked this wine a lot, as it shows complexity, appealing cedar freshness, balance and purity of fruit. There is a substantial potential for aging and in a few more years it will probably become even more interesting, even though now it can be enjoyed superbly after a few hours of aeration. (91-92/100)

I can definitely enjoy more of this. A producer that is worth seeking if all his wines are on the same line.