Wine & Spirits - April 2020 - 117

YEAR'S BEST AUSTRIAN WINES
92 | Markus Huber

$25

2018 Traisental Obere Steigen Grüner
Veltliner ^ The Hubers made just enough
wine to supply their restaurant before
Markus took over in 2000. Now they farm
nearly 100 acres in Traisental, and contract
with growers for another 100. Huber culls
this wine from old vines around Nussdorf,
where the sandy loam sits on limestone. Fermented in stainless steel, it's smoky and salty,
with fleshy flavors of green pear and gingerroot. It feels cool and broad, ready to coddle
herb-roasted fish. § Broadbent Selections, San
Francisco, CA
275923

92 | Markus Huber

$25

2018 Traisental Terrassen Grüner Veltliner ^ The pretty scents of lemon, lavender
and white tea give a delicate impression, but
this wine has some staying power, thanks to
its meaty, leesy middle. It's savory and long,
suited to creamy pastas or poached chicken. §
Broadbent Selections, San Francisco, CA
276058

92 | Loimer

$70

2016 Kamptal Langenlois Ried Käferberg Grüner Veltliner ^ Fermented and
aged in used oak and acacia barrels, this is a
sumptuous veltliner, a gentle wash of golden
apple and piecrust flavor. The wood accents
the juicy sweetness of the fruit, and adds a
textured warmth that makes it feel generous and full-bodied. § Craft + Estate/Winebow
Imports, NY
275757

92 | Prager

$75

2018 Wachau Bodenstein Grüner Veltliner Smaragd ^ This starts out feeling ample
in body, with notes of honey and guava, then
channels its flavors toward earthier tones of
gravel, lime pith and peppery spice. It finishes firm, with the structure to age well. §
Craft + Estate/Winebow Imports, NY
276216

92 | Steininger

$26

2017 Kamptal Ried Loisium Reserve
Grüner Veltliner ^ The Steiningers run a wine
museum in Langenlois that they call the Loisium; this vineyard sits behind it, a parcel of
deep loess planted about 16 years ago. Fermented and aged entirely in stainless-steel
tanks, the wine is silky, lean and elegant.
Tangy acidity streamlines the green-plum
flavors, with the verve to take on fried foods. §
Artisanal Cellars, NY
275995

92 | Wieninger

$26

2017 Wien Nussberg Grüner Veltliner ^ The
Nussberg vineyard sits high above Vienna, on
a hill of limestone and clay. In 2017, it produced a warm, inviting veltliner, its broad

texture and apricot flavors upholstered with
soft notes of sandalwood, white pepper and
mint. It's quiet but tenacious, the wine's firm
acidity drawing the flavors into a long finish. §
Craft + Estate/Winebow Imports, NY
276510

91 | Brandl

$18

2018 Kamptal Zöbing Grüner Veltliner
(Best Buy) ^ Give this a day of air to open up;
then it goes from an austere nugget of stony
flavor to a rich expanse of bright citrus and
herbs. It's concentrated and energetic, with
lime-pith acidity wending its way to a clear,
crisp finish. § M.S. Walker, New Rochelle, NY
276612

91 | Schloss Gobelsburg

$33

91 | Moric

$99

2018 Kamptal Ried Steinsetz Grüner Veltliner ^ This is robust yet structured, with a
zesty spice to its tangy golden-apple flavor.
It lasts, firm and elegant, the acidity channeling the flavors into a lean line. § Terry Theise
Selections/Skurnik Wines & Spirits, NY
276094
2016 Burgenland Serious Wine from a
Gorgeous Place ^ The "serious wine" is a
grüner veltliner; the gorgeous place is Sankt
Georgen, a limestone plot above Eisenstadt;
the Austrian authorities denied Roland Velich
the right to label it as such after the wine
didn't pass their tasting panel. Our panel,
on the other hand, unanimously embraced
the wine. Yes, it took a day for the reductive
stink to blow off but, from the get-go, the
structure was perceptible, a strong framework of tannins and acidity with a vertical
build. With air, the wine's transformation is
like a fog lifting, as notes of apple, quince and
pear come into focus, then spice and earthy
minerality. It's built to reward patient cellaring. § Winemonger Imports, San Anselmo, CA
276463

90 | Markus Altenburger

$52

2017 Leithaberg Ladisberg Grüner Veltliner ^ This limestone site gave a ripe, juicy
veltliner in 2017. Fermented with ambient
yeasts in a combination of concrete eggs and
large neutral barrels, it aged on the lees for
14 months before bottling. The wine is spicy
and honeyed in its golden fruit flavors, with
a nutty richness from the lees, while acidity
adds a tangy balance. § Schatzi Wines, NY
276607

90 | Ecker

$17

2018 Wagram von Mitterstockstall
Grüner Veltliner (Best Buy) ^ A zesty veltliner, this is fresh and crisp, with a little spritz
at the front end to point up its thirst-quenching citrus-and-herb flavors. It's a refreshing
summertime pour. § Terry Theise Selections/
Skurnik Wines & Spirits, NY
276775

90 | Forstreiter

$17

90 | Leth

$40

90 | Stadt Krems

$45

90 | Tegernseerhof

$35

90 | Winzer Krems

$23

89 | Josef Fischer

$20

WINE & SPIRITS

117

2018 Kremstal Ried Kremser Kögl Grüner
Veltliner (Best Buy) ^ This feels like spring
in its bright, crisp flavors of snap peas and
pink grapefruit. It's fresh, firm and energetic, immediately appealing-especially at
the price. § Monika Caha Selections/Frederick
Wildman & Sons, NY
276320
2017 Wagram Scheiben Grüner Veltliner ^
Scheiben's deep loess soils coddle the roots of
grüner veltliner vines, allowing them to grow
fruit for fat and happy wines, like this one.
It's sunny and sweet in its pineapple flavors,
a note of caramel pointing up its ripeness,
yet there's enough mineral savor to balance it
for the dinner table. Serve it with something
that appreciates the fruity aspects, like pork
roasted with apples. § Domaine Select Wine
Estates, NY
275790
2018 Kremstal Wachtberg Reserve Grüner
Veltliner ^ Focused on the spicy side of veltliner, this fills its broad, silky texture with
earthy white-pepper flavors. Pour it with
something equally spicy, like a watercress
salad with beets and pumpkin seeds. § Craft +
Estate/Winebow Imports, NY
276433
2017 Wachau Bergdistel Grüner Veltliner
Smaragd ^ Blended from a range of Wachau
vineyards, this is rich and juicy, its ripe pineapple flavor giving the wine an expansive
feel. The acidity reins it in so the wine feels
long and shapely, and a green herbal edge
adds definition. Its most winning character
is friendliness. § Artisanal Cellars, NY
275859
2018 Niederösterreich Chremisa Grüner
Veltliner ^ This comes on heavy at first, dense
in its pineapple and papaya notes, then lightens up, converting the fruit to fragrance. It
lasts on grüner veltliner's white-pepper spice,
savory and refreshing. § Saranty Imports,
Stamford, CT
276786
2018 Wachau Rossatz Grüner Veltliner
Federspiel (Best Buy) ^ Tart and tangy, this is
a refreshing veltliner, the flavors focused on
herbal notes of lemon verbena and sage. With
its bright acidity, it feels almost as though it
were crafted for drinking with huchen, a fish
native to the Danube that Josef Fischer, Sr., is
working to sustain. § Monika Caha Selections/
Frederick Wildman & Sons, NY
276626
APRIL 2020
Wine & Spirits - April 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - April 2020
