The 2005 Carnuntum surprises with sweaty, meaty, gamey, smoky notes in the nose, along with lightly cooked blackberry and brown spices. (Some of the funk is probably reductive in nature and should dissipate short term.) Somberly black-fruited on the palate, but purer than the nose had led me to anticipate, it incorporates suggestions of humus, and decaying leaves. The finish offers low-toned mineral suggestions and a satisfying length of blemish-free black fruits. Since 2002, Dorli Muhr (a local) and husband Dirk Niepoort, of Port fame, have been farming one of Carnuntum’s few traditional sites for Blaufrankisch, the Spitzerberg, where she had inherited and planted a small plot of vines. Niepoort fell in love with the Spitzerberg and its history as well as with the potential for Blaufrankisch. (“I think it’s the most elegant variety in the world, apart from Pinot Noir.”) The couple purchased additional acreage, and they have one contract for supplemental grapes. The early wines are already a revelation. The slope of the Spitzerberg reminds Muhr and Niepoort of the Cote d’Or and, accordingly, they have divided their production among three bottlings comparable to generic, village and premier cru. (There is also some Syrah, but thereby hangs a tale that will be told in these pages on another occasion.)Imported by: Martine’s Wines, Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-0400