austria

HOUSE GRUNER?

There are multiple reasons why one might think a ‘house Gruner’ is a far-fetched idea. First, for most Americans, Gruner is definitely a ‘foreign’ grape, giving way to more familiar varietals as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc as the choices for a “go-to” whites to have at the ready for visitors or dinner guests.

There are also cost issues. The ‘best’ Gruners can move into to high-$20 price points quite easily and there are a number of producers (Knoll, Prager to name a couple) that work at even higher price levels. Also, even with global warming, Austrians whites can vary quite a bit from vintage to vintage. While we aren’t suggesting that Gruner Veltliner is going to go ‘mainstream’ any time soon, if there were more vintages like 2019 and more folks like Richard Walzer, there’s no reason it couldn’t happen.

We’ve spoken highly of the 2019 vintage in Austria before, but had much fewer opportunities to work with the vintage than we would have liked. Like the heralded 2019s from Germany, the bulk of them were released during the height of the pandemic and were largely ‘absorbed’ by the market by the time things started to normalize (as that is defined these days).

As a quick reminder, the 2019s were pure, ripe, tender, expressive, engaging, and beautifully balanced. There was a supple mid-palate, bright, supporting acidity, beautifully woven white and yellow stone fruits, and subtle but present minerality. Balance was the key. Everything was proportioned like nothing we recall, with no sharp edges. That describes Richard Walzer’s Gruner Veltliner Reid Wolfsgraben 2019 to a tee. A nose of white peach and dried apricot, the palate was seamless display of peach, quince, wild herb, stones and salinity at the end. This is a very easy Gruner to like.

Richard Walzer’s tiny, virtually ‘one-man-show’ operation in the Kremstal is still pretty much under the radar. This is their ‘entry-level, volume’ bottling from a single vineyard of which only 1100 cases are produced and those are allocated. In other words, this source does not have a lot of distribution, nor any attention from the press.

Walzer farms sustainably and ferments traditionally via ‘whole cluster’ in stainless steel, where the wine then sits on the lees for five months. This vineyard sits at 900-1000 foot elevation and has an average of 45-year-old vines sitting in predominantly classic loess soils.

We can’t compare this 2019 to efforts from previous years because we’ve not seen this producer before. But we can tell you they nailed this one! There’s the added bonus of a $13.98 price point, a strikingly low tab for a Gruner of this quality, or pretty much any Gruner. If there was more of it consistently, it could start a Gruner ‘revolution’. As it is, it will have to be our little secret on one of the best Gruner buys around.

GLOBAL WARMING, FRIENDLIER GRUNER?

Global warming has had some positive effect on cooler climes like Austria. We’ve long been fans of their Gruner Veltliner as brisk, terroir conveying, beautifully ‘naked’ wines. There are a lot of folks that have tried previous versions of Gruner and found them a bit too tightly wound and edgy. That’s why it is important for a lot of wine drinkers to take another look at the new ‘kinder, gentler versions’ coming out now. Simply put, just a little more ripeness in the mix makes a big difference in what is in the glass.

‘Today’s’ Gruner still has the varietal specific green pea and white pepper notes that one associates with the genre, and the minerality reflective of the various sites . But the addition of a little white and yellow stone fruit to the mix gives the Gruner experience greater reach. Most folks wouldn’t consider just hauling off and drinking a Gruner as a solo aperitif. But the suppler midpalate and fruit elements, when they still have sufficient support from clean acidity, makes a completely different statement. Is it us, or do Gruners seem friendlier these days? This one is.

Kamptal is a touch warmer, drier appellation anyway, and Weixelbaum is located in a warmer subsection of varied terrains including loess (a fine sedimentary silt), gravel, and some volcanic elements formed during the Parmea Period some 270 million years ago. The soils themselves are responsible for this wine’s insistent, subtle, saline minerality and the snappy acidity supports the lively but supple midpalate. White peach, apple and apricot, and a touch of honey are a gift from the riper fruit, and combine beautifully with those Gruner-specific notes of white pepper, fresh peas, and fennel.

Weixelbaum Grüner Veltliner Ried Wechselberg Kamptal 2018, from a fruit-forward vintage for the region in general, has a mouth-filling, glossy palate entry that gives it a bit more than the expected tenderness, then cuts nicely clean at the finish. If you need a score, we have a Wine Enthusiast 92 (Austrian wines don’t get a lot of media attention these days for whatever reason). But, rather than scores, it’s more about something tasty and bright from a category you may not have considered in a while, at a great price ($19.98)!

ALT WHITES: PART 3

Over the years we have told a lot of tales. More than a few of them have been about a new star coming to market that was going to have a significant impact. This one is more of a rebirth of sorts that has the potential to have greater impact as time passes in the rather specific area of Austrian whites. For the time being, it is important to understand the ‘players’, and as importantly the dirt, or the stones as this elevated site is a bit light on topsoil.

Without going into a whole Mitchneresque reach back to the formation of the earth, Atzberg and Singgeriegel are virtually identical in their composition of red stones, slate and gneiss with little topsoil. Eventually they were separated by a stream called Mieslingbach. Singgeriegel went on to become recognized as one of, if not the top vineyard in the Wachau. Atzberg can trace its history back to the 13^th Century and the building called Mauritiushof was used by the monks to collect grapes. The Gritsch family bought the property in 1799, and used the building for wine production.

In recent times the Atzberg Vineyard itself was not cultivated. It’s terraced vineyards high on the hill were unplanted until winemaker Franz-Josef Gritsch and his partners Hans Schmid and Robert Wutzl decided that the spot was too special and important a site to be ignored. They dove in and ‘recultivated’ this historic site with the idea of restoring it to its formal elite status that was mentioned in records as far back as 1382.

Everything is ‘old school’. This 100% Gruner Veltliner vineyard is labor-intensive, with the grapes handpicked and carried in small tubs down to the lower valley. The thinking was that, given the history, if Singgeriegel is such an iconic vineyard, so too should Atzberg be among the stars of the region. If the Atzberg Gruner Veltliner Steilterrassen 2016 (Steilterrassen literally means ‘steep terraces’) is any indication, the ‘reclamation’ project is going quite swimmingly. The juice in the glass definitely gets one’s attention. It begins with a harmonious succession of aromas such as red berries, earthy minerality, apple, pear, wild herbs and spices.

In the mouth, all of this reveals itself in a palate that has not only the anticipated lift but a fairly broad, ample, and tender feel. Some Gruners sting, this one does a lot more caressing while still delivering the kind of bright, energetic experience one expects from this varietal when done right. Somewhat kinder and gentler, it delivers loads of character and finishing salinity. While it should please established fans of the genre, it is capable of winning some new friends for Gruner by virtue of its friendlier texture. The breeding and complexity of the site in the glass support the effort Gritsch and friends have put into it.

We don’t have any flashy reviews. We didn’t find any on this specific vintage, but didn’t really need them to validate that this was exciting stuff. Also, given the laborious nature of the site, we found the price to be more than fair, particularly when compared to an ‘upper cuvee’ from the site called Obere that literally costs more than twice as much. Delicious Gruner that can play with serious food should you choose, this is an early look into what we expect to be recognized as one of the superstar sites of the region soon enough.

SUPERSTAR IN THE RE-MAKING

Without going into a whole Mitchneresque reach back to the formation of the earth, Atzberg and Singgeriegel are virtually identical in their composition of red stones, slate and gneiss with little topsoil. Eventually, they were separated by a stream called Mieslingbach. Singgeriegel went on to become recognized as one of, if not the top vineyard in the Wachau. Atzberg can trace its history back to the 13th Century and the building called Mauritiushof was used by the monks to collect grapes. The Gritsch family bought the property in 1799, and used the building for wine production.

Everything is ‘old school’. This 100% Gruner Veltliner vineyard is labor- intensive, with the grapes handpicked and carried in small tubs down to the lower valley. The thinking was that, given the history, if Singgeriegel is such an iconic vineyard, so too should Atzberg be among the stars of the region. If the Atzberg Gruner Veltliner Steilterrassen 2016 (Steilterrassen literally means ‘steep terraces’) is any indication, the ‘reclamation’ project is going quite swimmingly. The juice in the glass definitely gets one’s attention. It begins with a harmonious succession of aromas such as red berries, earthy minerality, apple, pear, wild herbs and spices.

We don’t have any flashy reviews. We didn’t find any reviews on this specific vintage, we didn’t really need them to validate that this was exciting stuff. Also, given the laborious nature of the site, we found the price to be more than fair, particularly when compared to an ‘upper cuvee’ from the site called Obere that literally costs more than twice as much. Delicious Gruner that can play with serious food should you choose, this is an early look into what we expect to be recognized as one of the superstar sites of the region soon enough.

Classic Gruner at a sub-$20 fare

We have espoused on our version of the theory of relativity on a number of occasions. The heart of that theory is that one’s perception of a wine is greatly influenced by what else might be on the table. You are likely to have a better impression of a particular wine if it is tasted among lesser efforts, and, conversely, a really great wine’s magnitude might not be fully appreciated if it is tasted solely amongst other great wines.

Given that belief, it would follow that the Vorspannhof Mayr Gruner Veltliner Ried Loiser Weg Kremstal 2017, which we tasted after a knockout lineup of Ott Gruners, should have been swept away. The fact that it held its own in that company speaks volumes. From the northern end of Kremstal, near Kamptal, the soils here are loess and gravel, and the wine’s style and expression is much more ‘traditional’ with in the realm of Gruners.

Classic snap pea and watercress high tones with some white pepper and a little apricot, with a driving minerality and salinity through the middle to make everything sizzle, these folks are bringing it ‘old school’ in a good way. It could hang with the flashier Otts because of its drive. This one slices through food and leaves the palate energized for more, and the price performance in particular was impressive at $18.98.

THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OTT

One Thursday morning we were treated (OK, yeah, it’s work too) to a lineup from the estimable estate of Bernhard Ott. Our reference to the ‘Wizard of Ott’ was not only to make a tongue-in-cheek connection via a phonetic similarity to a popular story, but, man, the guy is something of a ‘wizard’. This ‘Grüner whisperer’ presented a lineup of 2017 releases that were stunning in their uniformity and brilliant execution.

Grüner Veltiner is something of a terroir-driven grape, a varietal that thrives in cooler, elevated sites and speaks very clearly of the place from which it comes. While the press gives the lion’s share of the attention to the more visible appellations of Wachau and Kremstal, there seems to be a lot of respect for this further-from-the-river Wagram property.

It is hard to describe how these wines are special, but we’ll try. Often Grüner, while expressing soils and terroir notes of the vineyards from which they come, can be a little angular or not display a lot of fruit in the profile. This Ott lineup, from the just emerging 2017 vintage, showed all of the classic stone, soil, and wild herb accents that seem to be part of the Grüner makeup. But what elevated the whole experience is that each of these expressions was wrapped in a round, mouth-filling, almost tender robe of ripe, precise white stone fruits.

At the same the palate was engaging with its almost sappy textural aspects, the well-infused underlying acidity gave everything uncanny lift and kept things well delineated throughout. Yeah, it’s a little warmer in Wagram than the more famous terroirs, but Ott’s own talents put these in a league of their own. They are sure to please devoted fans of the genre, but have a subtle richness that will win new friends as well. These completely won the day and there wasn’t a single one that we wouldn’t drink with relish.

There is a hierarchy to be sure. In his review of the 2016 Am Berg, David Schildknecht poses the question, “Is any intro-level Grüner Veltliner bottling more consistently fine than Ott’s?” Maybe, but it’s a really short list. The Bernhard Ott Gruner Veltliner Am Berg 2017’s glossy top coat makes for a pleasing entry and then the minerality and defined fruit push up from within. All estate fruit in 2017, this is just really good Gruner for this kind of price ($16.98) in a style that should appeal to anyone. Suckling 90 and, to us, it is better and brighter than their 2016.

The single vineyards ramp up from there. The Bernhard Ott Gruner Veltliner Engabrunner Stein 2017 comes from stony terraces at the eastern edge of the Kamptal. The nose offers wet stone, streaks of fresh lime and crabapple, snap pea and green bean. The palate is round and plump but at the same time juicy. The bright acidity keeps a low profile but fulfills all of its duties to support and brighten the impression of the overall wine. Stones, salinity, nori and oyster shell all play a subtle supporting role to the reserved white stone fruit mid-palate and this surprisingly weighty Gruner finishes with a fine subtle cut.

The Bernhard Ott Gruner Veltliner Feuersbrunner Speigel 2017 leans a bit more obviously into the fruit realm of peach and apricot, with a touch more weight and accents of flowers, wild herbs and peas. Broader with an even more glycerin-y impression, the cooler green components play beautifully against the lush fruit center and, again, there is an insistent buoyancy to the wine from front to back. Perhaps a touch more direct this is clearly a serious effort in Ott’s very user-friendly style.

The top of the heap, as well as the price range, is the Bernhard Ott Gruner Veltliner Feuersbrunner Rosenberg 2017. This one simply has more of everything from broader, sappier fruit suggesting melon, orange and pear, musky fruit notes in the aromatics, a more insistent streak of minerality and that signature engaging textural aspect that was a consistent theme with Ott’s 2017s. White pepper, stones, fresh herbs, and salinity are all a part of the tapestry of flavors. As the importer puts it, this is the icon wine, but there are no bad choices here.

We were duly impressed with this group at every level and would even have the temerity to suggest these over a number of other similarly priced upper tier whites. The upper-90s scores and notes from James Suckling on the vineyard bottlings would seem to indicate we are not alone in our admiration for this lineup. Amazingly food friendly too.

WELCOME BACK, DONABAUM (GREAT GRUNER)

It’s always about the wine, but sometimes it is also about the connection. Without going into detail about the cottage industry of wine brokerages that exists in a place like California, sometimes we don’t see certain labels for a period of time simply because the representative of some small entity simply can’t be bothered to make the trip down the freeway. This is our life as it exists in the wine industry. But we deal with all manner of folks because that is what you have to do to see all that is out there.

Johann Donabaum’s Austrian wines were an immediate favorite when we started working with them about a decade ago. We liked his stuff for a couple of reasons. Clearly the guy had good vineyards, and clearly a unique touch where his Gruners and Rieslings were very typical of the personality one expected from vineyards like Spitzer Point and Setzberg in the Wachau. These wines had all the terroir and minerality one could expect, but still a certain accessibility that offered some hedonistic appeal as opposed to just “rocks and acidity’. Second, for as good as the wines were, there was a certain rational sense to the pricing.

The Johann Donabaum Gruner Veltliner Spitzer Point Federspiel 2015, the first Donabaum we have seen in a while was a perfect example of what we mean. Clean and beautifully executed as always, it is particularly gratifying to have the stuff come back in one of the best vintages we can ever recall for Austrian wines. This Federspiel (the Austrian equivalent of a kabinett in must weight) has the weight and roundness of a lot of Smaragd, with the well infused minerality one expects with a yellow stone fruit character that this particular vintage brings.

From classic gneiss (typically coarse-grained earth consisting mainly of feldspar, quartz, and mica) soils, these 30-year-old vines sit in an east facing vineyard sitting at 1000 ft. elevation. This wine sees nothing but exposure to its own lees in the cellar in an effort to express the site in its purest form. Plumper yet still crisp, this is an appealing Gruner in a great vintage from a talented source for under $20. That’s the meat of it.