Winemaker Notes
Flowery, delicate lime fruit, apple and pine apple with a hint of herbs, spice and yeast, soft at first taste, despite its lively acidity, then straightforward, fresh on the palate, sappy fruit, mineral nuances, good structure and balance, medium body and fine minerals in the spicy finish.
A perfect companion to many starters such as smoked trout, ham, cold vegetables, tapas, or fresh marinated goat cheese with herbs; also very good with fish barbecue, sea food, or roasted chicken.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
There’s a subtle earthy complexity here, alongside aromas of grapefruits, flint stones, honey and peach blossom. Deliciously mineral and flavorful, with vibrant, lively acidity. Long and dry. From organically grown grapes.
Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
Climbing north and slightly east of the Kremstal region, Kamptal has very little vineyard area bordering the Danube River (unlike Wachau and Kremstal, whose vineyards run along it). The region takes its name from the river called Kamp, which traverses it north and south. Kamptal’s densely planted vineyards represent eight percent of Austria’s total.
The area experiences wide diurnal temperature variations like the Wachau but with less rain and more frost. Its vast geologic diversity makes it suitable for various experimentations with other varieties besides Grüner Veltliner and Riesling, such as Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc (Weissburgunder), Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, St. Laurent and Zweigelt.
But the region is probably most noted for the beautiful and expansive terraced Heiligenstein, arguably one of the world’s top Riesling sites, as well as some of Austria’s most extraordinary Grüner Veltliner vineyards. Kamptal’s soils, which are mostly loess and sand with some gravel and rocks, make it suitable for Grüner Veltliner, so much so that actually half of the zone is planted to that grape.