Winemaker Notes
Grüner Veltliner Sauberg combines the structure and minerality of the gravel soils with the complexity of the loam. Firm but quite juicy, with a fine overlay of spices and magnificent complexity. There is an almost salty character to its presence in the glass.
Pair with meat, vegetables au gratin, Thai cuisine, braised or baked dishes, and cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Generosity, smoothness and yeasty savor become apparent with the very first whiff of this wine. That rich miso savoriness is supplemented on the palate with juicy Mirabelle, a wealth of crushed sage and yeasty creaminess. A spike of ripe, bright lemon freshness highlights the essential saltiness.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From a plateau and 50+-year-old vines, the 2019 Grüner Veltliner Sauberg is clear, pure, fine and fresh on the precise and at least interesting nose that is surprisingly coolish and even leafy for that vintage. It also reveals perfectly ripe Golden Delicious (apple) aromas intertwined with some earthy notes. On the palate, this is a firm and well-concentrated, juicy and sustainably structured Sauberg with terroir character and real personality. Excellent.
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.
Appreciated for superior wines made from indigenous varieties, Austria should be on the radar of any curious wine drinker. A rather cool and dry wine growing region, this country produces wine that is quintessentially European in style: food-friendly with racy acidity, moderate alcohol and fresh fruit flavors.
Austria’s viticultural history is rich and vast, dating back to Celtic tribes with first written record of winemaking starting with the Romans. But the 20th century brought Austria a series of winemaking obstacles, namely the plunder of both world wars, as well as its own self-imposed quality breach. In the mid 1980s, after a handful of shameless vintners were found to have added diethylene glycol (a toxic substance) to their sweet wines to imitate the unctuous qualities imparted by botrytis, Austria’s credibility as a wine-producing country was compromised. While no one was harmed, the incident forced the country to rebound and recover stronger than ever. By the 1990s, Austria was back on the playing field with exports and today is prized globally for its quality standards and dedication to purity and excellence.
Grüner Veltliner, known for its racy acidity and herbal, peppery aromatics, is Austria's most important white variety, comprising nearly a third of Austrian plantings. Riesling in Austria is high in quality but not quantity, planted on less than 5% of the country’s vineyard land. Austrian Rieslings are almost always dry and are full of bright citrus flavors and good acidity. Red varietal wines include the tart and peppery Zweigelt, spicy and dense Blaufränkisch and juicy Saint Laurent. These red varieties are also sometimes blended.