Winemaker Notes
The basis of this sparkling is derived of different varieties (Pinot Noir, Riesling, Grüner Veltliner) selected from different sites of the estate. Grapes from Heiligenstein, Gaisberg, Grub and Lamm are harvested at the right moment, laid in small boxes and are immediately pressed, whereby only the core of the basic wine is used. After six months of cask storage, it is bottled for the second fermentation. It then rests for about three years on the yeast, which contributes to the creamy texture, until it is hand riddled and then degorged.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine & Spirits
Here’s a decadent bubbly, as rich and layered as a croissant, with a similar balance of toasty, nutty notes and buttery luxury. Michael Moosbrugger bases it on grüner veltliner, augments it with pinot noir and riesling, then ages it for six months in barrel; he ferments the wine a second time in bottle, where he leaves it for at least three years before disgorgement. The veltliner’s earthy fruit gives away the fact that this isn’t Champagne, but it acts like one.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The NV Brut Reserve (disgorged in May 2021) is based on the 2016 vintage and includes 50% Grüner Veltliner, 20% Zweigelt and 30% Welschriesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Vinified in stainless steel and disgorged after four years with a dosage of seven grams per liter, the vividly yellow-colored wine offers an intense yet elegant, refined and floral bouquet of ripe and nutty-scented fruit intermixed with fresh bread notes. Mouth filling, round and juicy on the palate, with remarkable finesse and a highly delicate finish, this is a round, fruity and perfectly balanced sparkling wine based on grapes from the Kamptal. Tasted at Schloss Gobelsburg in June 2021.
-
Wine Enthusiast
A hint of straw and fragrant hay appears alongside the citrus notes on the nose. The palate has fresh lively lemony fizz that accentuates the freshness and slenderness of the palate and turns this into an ideal and totally appetizing aperitif.
A term typically reserved for Champagne and Sparkling Wines, non-vintage or simply “NV” on a label indicates a blend of finished wines from different vintages (years of harvest). To make non-vintage Champagne, typically the current year’s harvest (in other words, the current vintage) forms the base of the blend. Finished wines from previous years, called “vins de reserve” are blended in at approximately 10-50% of the total volume in order to achieve the flavor, complexity, body and acidity for the desired house style. A tiny proportion of Champagnes are made from a single vintage.
There are also some very large production still wines that may not claim one particular vintage. This would be at the discretion of the winemaker’s goals for character of the final wine.
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.