Paul Lehner Durrau 2006 Blaufrankisch Reserve (Mittleburgenland)

I picked up this red wine of Austria when I was in Vienna in fall, 2008. As I recall, I had some in a restaurant that was on the outskirts of town and was affiliated with a vineyard that, I believe, surrounded the restaurant. I had scoffed at red wine from Austria (and I'm not all that impressed with the whites I've had either) but tasting this was impressed. So I took a bottle home. It's pretty good. A deep smoky, hazlenut nose with a hint of espresso; silky texture, little tannin and decent acidity. If I didn't know it was Austrian I might think it an inexpensive Italian. It's plenty ripe. I wouldn't pay more than $8 or $10 for it; give it an 86.

After writing this I looked it up in Parker and found quite a different impression and price tag:

Wine Advocate # 181 Feb 2009	David Schildknecht	(92-93)	Drink: N/A	$74 (74)
From some of the heaviest and most iron-rich soils in Horitschon, Lehrner’s 2006 Blaufrankisch Durrau is only now being released, and when I last caught up with it, was not yet bottled. Ripe blackberry, Szechuan pepper, and mint on the nose lead to a liqueur-like richness yet at the same time brightness of fresh fruit on the palate. An infusion of herbs, pepper, and tobacco as well as underlying stony, peaty mineral elements, marrow-like meatiness, and caramelized onions and root vegetables contribute to a thought-provoking level of complexity. Faintly resinous notes of new wood as well as walnut oil and bitter chocolate add to the wealth of flavors in a long, vibrant, palate-staining finish. This should be worth following for more than a decade. I reported in issue 160 on Paul Lehrner’s style (and wry wit), and in issue 177 reported on two outstanding values, his 2006 Blaufrankisch Gfanger and 2006 Claus (a blend of Zweigelt and Blaufrankisch), because they had been bottled early and I could not restrain my enthusiasm. “I’ve never had a wine reach 14% alcohol, and I don’t intend to,” remarks Lehrner – whose wines are decidedly under-rated by his countrymen – but I do not believe any taster will find his 2006s lacking in ripe flavors.

I agree it's complex on nose but seems over-ripe to me on the palate without the balance and nuance of wines that merit 90 points or more. Different strokes for different folks. And it might be that it was damaged in being carried, put on an airplane, transported from NC to DC, etc. And it wasn't stored esp well in the past few months; it was unrefrigerated in the house at 1114 RI Ave NW.