Our first visit in Saale-Unstrut this year went to Uwe Lützkendorf in Bad Kösen. This was our second visit here. We tasted twelve wines mostly from the 2006-vintage. For the Saale-Unstrut this vintage is not as ripe and bold as for those german wine-regions further west. It is a little more classical and balanced vintage, although perhaps a little less acidity and structure than the vintage 2005.

Saale-Unstrut Müller-Thurgau 2006
We started off with tasting the enfant terrible of many a german wine-region. Well in the Saale-Unstrut the Müller-thurgau makes fine results and should not be though of as an enfant terrible. Lützkendorf's version in 2006 gives off a flowery and sweet nose with hints of white fruits and a fine underripe leafy note. It is dry and medium bodied in the mouth. It is a quite simple with some sweetness and floweryness in the fruit. Acidity is medium high. This is a nice entry wine and a good alround glass. Fine for the price. 12,6% alc/vol, 4,3 g/L residual sugar, 5,9 g/L acidity. Price: 6,-€.


 Pfortenser Köppelberg Gutedel QbA 2006
So to an old grape from a vineyard in Bad Kösen. The Pfortenser Köppelberg is one of the oldest vineayrds in Saale-Unstrut, being cultivated 850 years ago. The soil has muschelkalk with gravel, löss and loam. The gutedel has a more citrusy nose. Hints of flowers and white fruits. In the mouth it has a more refreshing and citric character. This is more the refreshing and elegant summer-wine. Fine citrusy and flowery fruit and good length. Again not too deep. 12,1% alc/vol, 5,4 g/L residual sugar, 7 g/L acidity. Price: 8,50 €.

Karsdorfer Hohe Gräte silvaner QbA trocken 2006
So to the Karsdorfer Hohe Gräte which is Lützkendorf's finest vineyard. This vineyard is split in two. An old part closer to Karsdorf and some new plantings a little higher up. Karsdorfer Hohe Gräte has a special climate. It is warm in the winter and cold in the summer. This makes the growth-season about seven days longer than it's neighbouring vineyards. So more time to pick up tasted from the ground. The old part has a very complex 25 meter thick soil from the Trias-period. Minerally complex soil with gypsum and Keuper. In the new part of Karsdorfer Hohe Gräte you find muschelkalk. The silvaner-grapes are planted in the old part. The 2006 shows a fine underripe leafy nose with hints of citrus and a fine minerality. It is medium bodied with a fine structure. Medium concentration. Fine citrusy fruit, mineral style. Good acidity and length. Mineral finish. This is a fine young silvaner which is good for the price. 12,5% alc/vol, 4,1 g/L residual sugar, 6,9 g/L acidity. Price: 8,50 €.


 Karsdorfer Hohe Gräte riesling QbA trocken 2006
The riesling is also grown in the old part of Karsdorfer Hohe Gräte. The nose is more aromatic. Flowery and a light spice and mineral. Tighter and younger in the mouth. Fine fruit, aromatic and flowery. Light minerality. Better structure, but the fruit does not have the mineral intensity or interest as the silvaner. 12,5% alc/vol, 10,5 residual sugar, 7,7 g/L acidity. Price: 9,-€.

Karsdorfer Hohe Gräte weissburgunder QbA 2006
The weissburgunder is the third grape you find in the old part of the Karsdorfer Hohe Gräte. This wine has a more greenish, balsamic and flowery nose. Some mineral. Fuller wine in the mouth. More concentration. Sweeter and rounder fruit. Elegant style. Mineral and flowery weissburgunder with a lot of interest. Very good and would be interesting to age for a few years. 13,74% alc/vol, 11,7 g/L residual sugar, 5,2 g/L acidity. Price: 9,50 €.

Karsdorfer Hohe Gräte weissburgunder Grosses Gewächs 2006
The grosses gewächs weissburgunder has a lot more minerality on the nose and some fine hints of white fruits and underripe balsamic notes. It is fuller with more concentration. It is young and a fine mineral effort in the mouth. Perhaps a tad on the rustic side. Good length and structure. This has great potensial. Very fine wine. Price: 17,-€.

Karsdorfer Hohe Gräte weissburgunder auslese 2006
This shows a sweet flowery nose with hints of earth and some minerality. Fullbodied weissburgunder in the mouth with some sweetness. The fruit is more flowery and some fine minerality. But less interesting than the grosses gewächs. The alcohol is a bit high here. Fine wine, but not the most interesting weissburgunder. 13,74% alc/vol, 39 g/L residual sugar. Price: 14,50 €.

Karsdorfer Hohe Gräte traminer auslese 2006
Traminer is grown in the new part of Karsdorfer Hohe Gräte. This has a fine and lightly perfumed nose with hints of sweet flowers, spice and minerals. It is fullbodied and a mineral traminer in the mouth. Fine concentration. Fine aromatic fruit blended with an interesting minerality. Fair acidity and decent balance. This is an interesting wine and one of my favorites. It also drinks very well right now. 13,4% alc/vol, 11,7 g/L residual sugar, 5,2 g/L acidity. Price: 14,50 €.

Karsdorfer Hohe Gräte spätburgunder QbA 2006
The spätburgunder is grown in the new part of Karsdorfer Hohe Gräte. Transparent red colour. Lightly fruity and earthy spätburgunder in the nose with a light touch of oak. Light and more fruity in the mouth. It has a nice florality, but it is a simple and young style of pinot noir without much depth. Fine acidity and little tannins. Not highly interesting.

Karsdorfer Hohe Gräte Portugieser QbA 2005
Transparent red colour. A little more aromatic and flowery high-notes nose here. Fruitier and more straight-forward. Lighter in the mouth, but with a fine and intense fruit. Flowery. Fine acidity and balance. Not much tannins here. Good, simple and enjoyable. 12,6% alc/vol, 1,5 g/L residual sugar, 5 g/L aicidity. Price: 9,-€.

Freyburger Edelacker blauer zweigelt QbA 2005
The Edelacker is a terrassed einzellage and perhaps Freyburg's most renowned vineyard. The soil is muschelkalk. Blauer zweigelt has a certain history in the Saale-Unstrut. Being imported in the early 70's it is a grape you find quite widespread and to me it represents the most interesting reds of the region. Deep red colour. More intensity on the nose here. Hints of earth, meat and red berries. Fine body and concentration. Young zweigelt and perhaps a little lighter than those from Autria. But with a fine structure. Good acidity and more tannins than in the other reds. Fine wine. 12,6% alc/vol, 2,5 g/L residual sugar, 5,5 g/L acidity. Price: 14,-€.

Karsdorfer Hohe Gräte riesling auslese 2005
So we end the tasting with the riesling auslese from 2005. Yellow colour. Lightly honeyed and mineral nose with a fine touch of firn and flowers. Fullbodied riesling in the mouth. Good concentration. Off-dry style. Fine fruit, a little younger and tighter than on the nose. Good structure and length. Very fine, but needs more time. 13,15% alc/vol, 10 g/L residual sugar, 7,9 g/L acidity. Price: 14,50 €.

The selection from Lützkendorf is fine in 2006. They have a fine ripeness and are not overdone. But they lack some of the structure of the 2005. The wines from 2006 will be interesting to follow for aging 3-5 more years and they will probably drink earlier than the 2005. To me Lützkendrof is the best producer of unoaked wines in all quality-ranges in Saale-Unstrut. Especially look out for his traminer, weissburgunder and mostly all wines from the Karsdorfer Hohe Gräte is worth a try.


Arnt Egil Nordlien
notes: Sep-07

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