Winemaker Notes
Lamm is situated on the southeast slope of the Heiligenstein. Beside erosion material from Heiligenstein (perm, red siltstone) a high proportion of clay can be found. The vineyard is south-facing and very well exposed. This helps develop the grapes for a wine that, after maturation in traditional double-foudre casks from local forest of Manhartsberg, result in a wine with power and elegance.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
High-toned notes of freshly cut green pear expand on the nose. The palate then adds its creamy yeastiness and the texture of citrus pith, lending structure and a fitting backdrop to the salty, savory edge. Bright citrus freshness keeps this on a totally refreshing and even keel. Mouthfilling, concentrated and totally lip-smacking.
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Wine & Spirits
Powerful acidity wraps around this wine’s lemon-marmalade flavors like a corset while notes of herbs and sea salt add a rich filigree. It’s dense and ripe, a mouthful of grüner flavor with a toasty tone that suggests pairing it with roasted meats—now or later, after it’s aged in your cellar for a few years.
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Decanter
Refreshing and vibrant, offering a satisfying energy and drive, this is feather-light but with a wonderfully persistent citrus-imbued quality.
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.
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.