Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Great lemon, white peach and spice aromas are married to a medium body with a hint of creamy richness at the front. Then comes the austere finish with a ton of mineral power. Drink now and for some years to come.
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Wine Enthusiast
The nose of this wine is still subdued. Hints of wet earth and pure lemon notes can barely be discerned. With a few swirls of the glass, tender hints of blood orange zest pervade nose and palate, alongside spiky, bright lemon notes. The body is slender and taut but brims with gorgeous citrus aromas. Lovely now but sure to last. Drink 2018–2030.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Ried Gaisberg 1ÖTW is a Kamptal Riesling from the Kammerner Gaisberg and has a dense and concentrated nose with fresh lemon and vegetal aromas of green asparagus intermixed with peppery and crystalline flavors. On the palate, this is a pure, dry, straight, finessed and beautifully salty Riesling that doesn't have any flesh or sugar grams on its bones. It is a highly delicate, pure and elegant Gaisberg with a great grip. It is an enormously stimulating and refreshing Riesling. A great Riesling not just for Riesling freaks. Tasted as a sample in June 2017. At this price you can hardly get any better Riesling than Gobelsburg's Gaisberg or Bründlmayer's regular Heiligenstein.
Range: 92-93
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.