Winemaker Notes
The village of Zöbing is characterized by Riesling terraces. Primary rock and Permian soil are the fundament of the Zöbinger Riesling personality. The village got high recognition after the construction of the Heiligenstein Tower in the late 19th century.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
This differs from Hirsch’s version of this village blend by showing more breadth and weight. The nose is a delight, with charming aromas of apricots, apple compote and mandarins. It’s rich and ripe with a hint of sweetness – a juicy, fruit-laden, entry-level style that may lack a little precision and subtlety, but it’s mouthfilling, with good acidity and length.
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Wine & Spirits
A village cuvée sourced from vines of varying ages on Zöbing’s terraces, this is gentle and ripe, with a peachy plumpness to cushion its savory mineral tones.
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.