Winemaker Notes
Delicate aromas lead to a palate of pear with hints of quince and white peach. This wine is light, elegant, and floral. Subtle notes of pineapple lead to a lively acidity on the finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This youthful riesling has aromas of sliced nectarines, lemons and apple blossoms. Light herbal notes, too. Crisp and pristine, with a medium body and a cool, juicy finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2024 Zöbing Kamptal Riesling is intense and saline on the slightly reductive or at least discreet but deep and layered nose. Fresh and savory on the first palate, this is a youthful, finessed and persistent Riesling from young vines rooting in the Heiligenstein grand cru. We can taste the exceptional terroir here, at least its finesse and elegance, yet still not its depth and complexity.
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.