Winemaker Notes
This wine was sourced from three vineyards in Krems and is picked earlier than the grapes in Senftenberg, where Martin Nigl's other vineyards and winery are located. Raised in stainless steel and bottled at night when the wine is cold, to preserve freshness.
Freiheit shows pear and lime peel notes as well as floral and grassy components, with a clean mineral finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This has sliced pears, grapefruit, celery salt and a hint of white pepper on the nose. Very fresh and crisp on the palate, with a medium body and a crunchy finish.
Fun to say and delightfully easy to drink, Grüner Veltliner calls Austria its homeland. While some easily quaffable Grüners come in a one-liter—a convenient size—many high caliber single vineyard bottlings can benefit from cellar aging. Somm Secret—About 75% of the world’s Grüner Veltliner comes from Austria but the variety is gaining ground in other countries, namely Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the United States.
The region of considerable geologic diversity and microclimates, Kremstal extends virtually without border east from Wachau along the Danube River. Its magnificent terraced and rocky vineyards in the west alongside Wachau include some of Austria’s most esteemed Riesling vineyards, the (Steiner) Hund and Pfaffenberg, as well as Kögl and Wachtberg nearer to the city of Krems. After Krems, the vineyards become excessively steep upstream around Senftenberg where Riesling and Grüner Veltliner thrive. Grüner Veltliner does best from here east where the soils become a mix of sand, gravel and loess.
Grüner Veltliner and Riesling together comprise two thirds of all of the Kremstal vineyards; the region itself represents about five percent of Austria’s total vineyard area.