Winemaker Notes
#94 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2025
Fass 4 is a special selection of Am Berg made every vintage from the best plots that are vinified separately and then blended together. The wine that Bernard would proudly tell you that presents his estate best and was named after is father's famed fourth barrel where it was said the best wine of the vintage always comes from.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2023 Grüner Veltliner Fass 4 is from estate fruit only, harvested across the Hengstberg. Ott calls this the classic wine of his estate. It was mainly fermented in large barrels with a smaller proportion of stainless steel. Gentle savor reminds of lichen on wood, with a touch of orange peel, projecting much freshness. There is more body, a touch of pale Mirabelle fruit, with light-footed ripeness and more of that slightly peppery lichen savor. The subtle texture heightens the citrus notions and makes for a lip-smacking finish, always with that subtle, peppery flavor. (Bone-dry)
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Wine Enthusiast
Vibrant notes of kumquat, passion fruit and persimmon open up this friendly yet complex version. Notes of savory mineral and spice join midpalate, followed by heather and pine that add allure. It shows good length on the finish.
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Wine Spectator
There are flinty, smoky, yeasty undertones to the ripe, plump fruit profile in this delicious white. Savory chive and thyme and lacy, floral notes add complexity. The clean finish stretches out, showing salty freshness.
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.