Wine & Spirits - April 2018 - 108

YEAR'S BEST AUSTRIAN WINES
Our blind panels tasted 228 new-release Austrian wines over the past 12 months. Tara Q. Thomas, our critic for Austria, rated 52 as
exceptional (90+) and 32 as Best Buys. Find a complete list of wines tasted and all reviews at wineandspiritsmagazine.com.

S PA RK L I N G
227272

90 | Loimer

$30

Niederösterreich Extra Brut (Best Buy) ^
Fred Loimer blends this wine from grüner
veltliner, zweigelt and pinot noir he grows
under biodynamics. After a year on the lees
in bottle, those varieties make for an exuberant sparkler. Lemony acidity balances the
lush, creamy texture, notes of toasted nuts
and baked apples filling in the middle. Chill
it for shad roe this spring. § Craft + Estate/The
Winebow Group, NY
227265

88 | Szigeti

$25

2012 Burgenland Gustav Klimt Brut Blanc
de Blancs Sekt (Best Buy) ^ Made from steelfermented chardonnay aged on the lees for
four and a half years before bottling, this is
dark-toned and rich, the nutty butterscotch
flavors edged in bitter hints of caramelized
orange peel. Designed for the dinner table,
it would make an intriguing match to misoglazed cod or roast duck. § Craft + Estate/The
Winebow Group, NY

W HI T E
GELBER MUSKATELLER
228403

92 | Neumeister

$24

2016 Vulkanland Steiermark Steirische
Klassik Gelber Muskateller (Best Buy) ^
This is a buttoned-down muscat, its floral
scents and citrus spice following a long, elegant line. It's as fresh as a breeze through a
citrus grove in flower, with a pleasant bitter edge to its yellow-plum fruit. Pour it as
an upgrade from pinot grigio, or to match
a spring salad. § Monika Caha Selections/Frederick Wildman and Sons, NY

G R U N E R V E LT L I N E R
228388

95 | Fritsch

$25

2015 Wagram Erste Lage Mordthal
Grüner Veltliner ^ Karl Fritsch specializes in
grüner veltliner, and has tended his vines biodynamically since 2006. Mordthal is one of
his most prized parcels, a south-facing patch
of loess over slate. In the warmth of 2015, it
108

WINE & SPIRITS

APRIL 2018

produced a wine that rendered our tasting
panel near speechless. In part, it's the way the
satiny fruit wraps around the mouth, leaving
impressions of honeyed peach and pineapple without any weight. In part, it's because
of the profound mineral tone, somewhere
between dashi and clean, wet stone. Those
flavors last for minutes, striking an impressive balance between sweet and savory, lush
and precise. § Monika Caha Selections/Frederick Wildman and Sons, NY
228237

94 | Malat

$47

2015 Kremstal Gottschelle Erste Lage
Reserve Grüner Veltliner ^ The Gottschelle
vineyard is remarkable for its loess deposits,
reaching nearly 33 feet deep in places. Those
rich soils turned out an opulent veltliner in
2015, honeysuckle scented and honeyed in its
peach flavors. Yet it's not at all showy; instead
it simply impresses with its elegance, a pinkgrapefruit acidity giving it freshness with
every sip. Beautiful now, this should last well
for another decade. § Circo Vino, Tucson, AZ
228233

94 | Stift Goettweig

$53

2015 Kremstal Further Gottschelle Erste
Lage Reserve Grüner Veltliner ^ From the
same vineyard as the Malat (reviewed above),
this version feels more tightly wound, the
fruit cooler, more focused on flavors of
lemon, lime and a little orange marmalade.
It's the size of the wine, the vast, creamy
expanse of mineral flavor, that asserts its
place as a grand bottling, needing only time
in the cellar to realize its potential. § Circo
Vino, Tucson, AZ
228235

93 | Malat

$21

2016 Kremstal Furth-Palt Grüner Veltliner (Best Buy) ^ There's an energy in this
wine that makes it hard to put down the
glass, an acidity that's not screaming but just
glows, illuminating the lemon-lime flavor
and the firm minerality that gives the wine
its savory breadth. Palate-whetting and lasting, it's a wine to buy by the case, for summer
parties as well as quiet Friday nights. § Circo
Vino, Tucson, AZ
228586

93 | Weszeli

$49

92 | Karl Lagler

$33

92 | Rudi Pichler

$36

91 | Josef Fischer

$27

91 | Loimer

$20

2015 Kamptal Schenkenbichl Grüner
Veltliner ^ David Weszeli says that the fruit
in the Schenkenbichl ripens ten days earlier
than in the surrounding vineyards, thanks
to its center-slope position and the warmth
that radiates from the terrace walls. This
2015 shows that warmth in its concentrated
flavors, a mix of sweet stone fruit and umamirich tropical notes enlivened by brisk acidity. §
Savio Soares Selections, NY
228013
2016 Wachau Steinborz Grüner Veltliner
Smaragd ^ From the cool Spitz end of the
Wachau, this has the weight of a Smaragd
with its ripe peach and marzipan notes, but
it's elegant, too, as notes of peach blossoms
and spring herbs bring freshness. It's built to
age, but would be delicious now, decanted,
with a creamy fish braise. § M.S. Walker, Somerville, MA
227269
2016 Wachau Terrassen Grüner Veltliner
Smaragd ^ This needs time in the glass to get
past its smoky, reductive scents, allowing
the flavors to fill its massive frame. When
the earthy lentil flavors emerge, and the
lime-zest high notes kick in, they meet the
alcohol head-on; the flavors, propelled by a
rich, orange-toned acidity, establish an equilibrium. This will do well with several years in
the cellar, and a crown roast of pork. § Craft +
Estate/The Winebow Group, NY
228391
2016 Wachau Frauenweingarten Grüner
Veltliner Smaragd ^ A hedonistic veltliner,
this layers flavors of peaches and pears with
mango and red fruit, lemon and spice. It's
lush and heady, yet the brisk acidity and a
ferny green note keep it from going over the
top. § Monika Caha Selections/Frederick Wildman and Sons, NY
227273
2016 Kamptal Langenlois Grüner Veltliner (Best Buy) ^ Fred Loimer blends this
from various parts of his biodynamically
farmed vineyards, 160 acres rising up to
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - April 2018
