Wine & Spirits - Spring 2022 - 76

Top Austrian Wines
93 | Claus Preisinger
$45
2014 Neusiedlersee Pannobile ^ A classic
Pannobile cuvée of zweigelt and blaufränkisch
made from biodynamically farmed
fruit, this is fermented with ambient yeasts
and then aged in big, neutral oak barrels. The
wine is spicy and tangy, with bright cranberry
notes and rich purple fruit. The real draw,
however, is how bottle age has given it a feeling
of worn-in comfort, its plushness underlined
by a sense of solidity-this isn't just all
velvet and stuffing but has real power and
frame to hold it all up. It's ready to drink
now, at the intersection of young and old. §
Volker Wine Co., Houston, TX
DESSERT
97 | Kracher
red that provide exceptional value at their
price-all below the median in their respective
categories, whether Federspiel or Smaragd,
Burgenland or Wein, presented here
simply by variety.
SPARKLING
90 | Szigeti
$22
Burgenland Sekt Méthode Traditionelle
Brut Grüner Veltliner (BEST BUY) ^ This is
round and ripe, with a silky texture behind
the fine bubbles. It has a vegetal sweetness,
like roasted red peppers, that suggests
a match with cheese biscuits or pimiento
cheese and crackers. § Winebow, NY
$76
2018 Burgenland Nouvelle Vague Grande
Cuvée Nummer 5 Trockenbeerenauslese ^
A blend of chardonnay and welschriesling
picked extremely ripe and aged in new barriques
for 28 months, this is an extraordinary
dessert wine. It's bursting with exotic scents,
from rosewater and orange blossom to cinnamon
sticks and walnuts; the flavors span
the fruit world from pink grapefruit to red
apple and even blueberry. For all its honeyed
density (there's 223.5 g/l residual sugar) the
wine isn't sticky in the least, the sweetness
balanced by a smoky savor and a hint of bitterness
that will allow it to pair with cheese
or pâté as easily as it might an apricot tart. §
Terlato Wines Int'l, Lake Bluff, IL
96 | Weinrieder
$60/375ml
2019 Niederosterreich Sweet March Märzlese
Grüner Veltliner ^ Fritz Rieder waited
until March 2020 to pick the grapes for this
wine, at which point they were so raisined
there was barely any juice to extract. The
concentration is immediately evident in
the texture of the wine, almost slippery in
its satin density. Somehow, in what feels like
a magic trick, it slips right off the tongue,
weightless despite the 215 g/l residual sugar
it holds, leaving in its wake a fascinatingly
savory array of flavors, from green tea to
wildflowers, toasted barley and hay. Mariko
Kobayashi from Chambers Street Wines suggested
taking it to a Japanese restaurant, as
that umami sweetness could play off anything
from fish dishes to a matcha sponge
cake. § Vidalco Int'l, Charleston, WV
BEST BUYS
In addition to the one Best Buy among the
Top Wines in our Austrian tastings, we also
found a range of whites, a sparkling and a
76
WINE & SPIR IT S
WHITE
91 | Tement
$23
2020 Südsteiermark Sand & Schiefer Gelber
Muskateller (BEST BUY) ^ Fragrant with
green lime and floral lemon notes, this feels
like spring. It's clean, mineral and savory,
head-filling yet weightless on the tongue,
making it a satisfying aperitif. § David Bowler
Wines, NY
gRUNER VELTLINER
93 | Hirsch
lasts, keeping the wine bright and vibrant,
delicious now but also capable of aging. §
Coeur Wine Co., NY
92 | Glatzer
$18
2020 Carnuntum Grüner Veltliner (BEST
BUY) ^ While this region east of Vienna is more
known for red wines, Walter Glatzer pulled
off an impressive grüner veltliner from the
loess-rich soils of his organically farmed vineyards.
It's silky, full and fresh, a hint of slatey
minerality under the pineapple fruit. And the
acidity remains vivacious for days after opening.
§ Skurnik Wines, NY
92 | Loimer
$19
2020 Kamptal Lois Grüner Veltiner (BEST
BUY) ^ Here's an affordable wine with real
personality. It's savory and sweet at once,
with wildflower scents and grapefruit flavor
as well as a smoked-meat note that gives
it breadth and depth. The acidity keeps it
lively, the wine ending on a clean, fresh note. §
Winebow, NY
92 | Rudi Pichler
$30
2020 Kamptal Kammern Grüner Veltliner
(BEST BUY) ^ Grown under biodynamics,
this is creamy and compact, a kaleidoscope
of flavors, from white peach to yellow plum
to red-blushed peach. It feels all of a piece;
the flavors driven by a firm but gentle pinkgrapefruit
acidity, with mineral notes and a
hint of resinous herbs adding complexity. §
Skurnik Wines, NY
93 | Rudi Pichler
$38
2020 Wachau Terrassen Grüner Veltliner
Smaragd (BEST BUY) ^ There's lots of baby fat
here in layers of juicy peach, mango and
papaya flavors, while underneath there's a
chicken-fat richness and savor that makes
it drink almost like a meal. It's a big-bodied
Smaragd, deserving of cellar time, or a roast
chicken dinner with some herbed butter
slipped under the skin. § Winebow, NY
93 | Salomon-Undhof
$39
2020 Kremstal Erste Lage Ried Wachtberg
Grüner Vetliner (BEST BUY) ^ Grown not far
from the border with the Wachau, this marries
Kremstal (loess) plumpness with Wachau
(gneiss) austerity. It's bursting with sweet
fruit, as firm and juicy as a lemon, then ends
fresh and clean, with a sense of minerality
lending it clarity and precision. The acidity
S PR IN g 202 2
$28
2020 Wachau Grüner Veltliner Federspiel
(BEST BUY) ^ This is lactic and reduced when it's
first poured, but with air it develops such a
clear sense of stone and clean, crisp yellow
fruit that it's like watching the sun emerge
from behind a storm cloud. This deserves
a few more months in the bottle or a quick
decant before enjoying with anything from
beet salad to grilled trout. § Winebow, NY
92 | Steininger
$25
2020 Kamptal Reserve Ried Loisium
Grüner Veltliner (BEST BUY) ^ A substantial
grüner veltliner, this is plush and inviting
in its fruity abundance. The notes of lemon,
pear and peach edge toward superripeness
without going over the edge, restrained by a
pillowy earthiness. It holds this balance for
days after opening, indicating its structural
integrity. § Artisanal Cellars, White River Junction,
VT
90 | Frischengruber
$23
2020 Wachau Steiger Grüner Veltliner
Federspiel (BEST BUY) ^ A bright, spritzy,
screw-capped grüner veltliner, this is easy to
love. It feels fresh and spring-like, with mineral-water
clarity to the green fruit flavors
and an invitingly smooth texture. § Schatzi
Wines, Milan, NY
90 | Hirsch
$21
2020 Kamptal Hirschvergnügen Grüner
Veltliner (BEST BUY) ^ Johannes Hirsch's basic
offering, this is classic grüner veltliner,
savory and a little smoky, with a green-bean
Wine & Spirits - Spring 2022

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