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.