Winemaker Notes
Bright yellow-green with silver reflections, this wine opens with a discreet scent of honey blossom and ripe mango, accented by hints of pineapple and candied clementine zest. The palate is complex and elegant, with integrated acidity, mineral undertones, fine spice, and delicate stone fruit, offering excellent aging potential.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This has attractive aromas of melons, persimmons and pineapple, followed by a full-bodied, bright and tasty palate. Delicious orange-fruit character with a phenolic firmness. From organically grown grapes.
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Vinous
The 2022 Grüner Veltliner Ried Sauberg is harvested on calcareous marls interspersed with gravels and radiolaria from vines that are more than 80 years old. It is fermented in used 500-liter barrels. The nose's savory creaminess is subtle, reminiscent of white miso with leafy overtones of fern and lemon foliage. The palate is graceful, elegant, tender, yet expressive and deeply savory alongside a deep, smooth nuttiness. (Bone-dry)
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Wine Spectator
Peach, quince and stone fruit flavors are fleshy on the palate, backed by white pepper, tarragon and wet stone notes. Juicy orange acidity pulses through, making this vibrant and fresh. A waft of smoke winds through the distinctive, tangy finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
Classic and medium- to full-bodied, with attractive baking spice notes framing the core of red bean paste, kumquat and lemongrass. There is a good grip and focus on the mouthwatering finish.
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.