Kracher Beerenauslese Cuvee 2007

I have not had the opportunity to try many white dessert wines but this Austrian Cuvee was an enjoyable finish to a wonderful evening. Like many of the small wineries, this is a family owned and opeated winery too. Alois Kracher Sr. founded the winery in the mid 1900s but his son Alois Jr. really made a name for the family business. "Luis" as he was known by, was a chemist for a pharmaceutical company prior to returning to Kracher Wines in 1989. By 1991, his sweet, dry dessert wines became widely known. Unfortunately, Alois Jr. passed away in 2007 at the young age of 48. His son Gerhard has taken control of the family business, along with Gerhard's mother, and continues to produce outstanding wines. The winery is located near Lake Neusiedl in Eastern Austria along the Hungarian border. The lake and climate is critical to this wine as it stimulates the growth of the "noble rot" (fungus) that forms on these grapes as they allow them to become overripe before picking. The Beerenauslese designation refers to this condition of the grape.
The 2007 Beerenauslese Cuvee is a dark golden colored dessert wine that has rich aromas of peaches and apricots along with a dripping honey comb and some vanilla. My first several sips were not very exciting but it quickly opened up to a nice creamy medium bodied wine with a dried apricot taste along with an older pineapple and peaches and a hint of toasted caramel at the end. The sweetness was not as overwhelming as I was expecting. Overall, it was a well structurd wine with moderate acidity that could be enjoyed with a dessert or biscotti cookies. If you enjoy cooking and entertaining, pick up a bottle of the Kracher 2007 and serve it after dinner.