2005 TBA No. 7 Grande Cuvee

Alois and Gerhard Kracher's 2005 Trockenbeerenauslese No 7 Grande Cuvée Nouvelle Vague is part of the 2025 Library Release and another stellar wine in the history of this domaine in Illmitz. Given the fact that this dark orange-colored noble sweet wine was aged in barriques, it displays a lovely deep yet pure, fresh and aromatic bouquet of stewed stone fruits and citrus fruit intermingled with nuances of nougat, toast, salt and caramel, maybe even flinty nuances. Rich but immaculate and highly finessed on the palate, this is a stimulating, even salivating saline and filigree-structured TBA that develops a very long and lively, even energetic finish due to this stunning, even mineral acidity. This is an ageless TBA that still has a long life ahead. 10% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine in Illmitz in June 2025. 100/100 By Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate

Peach! Peach! More peach! But black raspberry too and crushed raspberry pips. Wow. Simply incredible in its purity and sheer fruit intensity. There’s toffee apple, butterscotch and crème brulée (in fact, much more brulée – the lovely bitterness of burnt sugar – than crème). Then one finds the minerality – saline, but stony too and almost slightly flinty in that very clean, pure, brilliant way. The texture is incredible – succulent, soft, crystalline and then energised by the freshness of the wondrous citrous element that arrive last of all and then interweave themselves with those peaches and, on the finish, we’re back to peaches, peaches and more peaches. Just wow! There are tears in my eyes. 100/100 Colin Hay, The Drinks Business