WTN (Loimer) + Qs on Grüner Veltliner

Today was the last hectic day of the yearly wine fair. We had a few left overs, one of which I took home to drink over dinner (i.e. WARNING! imported by the company I work for!).

• *2005 Loimer Grüner Veltliner Käferberg - Austria, Niederösterreich, Kamptal, Langenlois (3/15/2008)
  Light gold. A typical nose for the grape in its green aromas, creaminess, minerality. Quite full bodied, good grip despite the voluptious fruit. Very long and mineral aftertaste. Very nice.

Posted from CellarTracker

Many people today remarked how Chardonnay-like Grüner Veltliner is. I was a bit puzzled by that. I usually find more green aromas (peas, asparagus) and even a bit of hay on occasion - so if I really have to compare it to some other great grape, I would think of Chenin Blanc. Does anyone have good ideas on why so many find the grape Chardonnay-like? Is it that slight creamy note, or the full bodied fruit?

If I become really critical, I would prefer a slightly steelier style of Grüner - like the Nikolaihof I recently wrote about. Who else than Nikolaihof should I seek for such a style?

-Otto

It depends on the wine. I don't see a resemblance in younger more basic GVs, but in bigger (I'm talking Smaragd in Wachau) wines with a few years age, I've definitely had some that would do well in a blind tasting of Burg 1ers.

Does anyone have good ideas on why so many find the grape Chardonnay-like? Is it that slight creamy note, or the full bodied fruit?

Otto,

For me, many Smaragd GVs from the Wachau (and late harvest GVs elsewhere) have what might be construed as chardonnay'ish' texture and fruit character, but more in a Cotes de Beaune way than Chablis. Especially in the apple and pear arena. It is not completely uncommon to find honey-comb and tropical fruit in ripe GV either -flavors that can be associated with the likes of Puligny-Montrachet or Chassagne-Montrachet, but I'm generally with you. The tone is happier, cooler and more 'green' with Grüner. I think the comparison probably comes most from people trying to fit Gruner Veltliner in a box that they're comfortable with, when in fact it the vine is quite a misfit.

If I become really critical, I would prefer a slightly steelier style of Grüner - like the Nikolaihof I recently wrote about. Who else than Nikolaihof should I seek for such a style?

If you're looking for super-steel, one of my favorite terroirs is the Steinertal (which is better known for Riesling.) It is one of the most distinctive vineyards in the world IMO, and always has a very long knife-edge mineral steeliness to it. Leo Alzinger makes a great GV, and FX Pichler makes AMAZING Riesling from this site. Tegernseerhof (despite their reputation for flabbiness) makes a very pure Riesling here as well.

If I become really critical, I would prefer a slightly steelier style of Grüner - like the Nikolaihof I recently wrote about. Who else than Nikolaihof should I seek for such a style?

Otto, it's maybe less a question of producer than of body. Just take a look at the label: If it's not more than 12 or 12.5%abv, than the chance of getting a crisp and steelier example is much higher than anything above this mark.

Another hint: Try something like Weinviertel DAC, usually decently priced and more in the "classic" style. But I have no idea about what Alko Oy has on offer, and their homepage does not offer an English version.

I would agree with the comments above, and say that I have personally never had a GV that reminded me of the stereotypical West Coast / South American / Australian "Chardonnay" - buttery, coconutty and confected. Never! However, if we're talking about white Burgundy, then I can see the similarity much more readily, even though I think that GV with its peppery spice really does stand in its own category.

Now, I will say that many of the simpler quaffing GVs have reminded me many times of crisp, scintillating bone-dry Ontario Vidal more than any other wine - Magnotta's 2000 dry Vidal could have been a dead ringer for one of those "patio GVs" in my book.

I think the comparison probably comes most from people trying to fit Gruner Veltliner in a box that they're comfortable with, when in fact it the vine is quite a misfit.

From that viewpoint, much of what was said at the fair makes sense. But I thought GV such a mainstream grape (especially withe a couple well-selling wines available in Alko) that it wouldn't be such a foreign sensation to those ITB...

If you're looking for super-steel, one of my favorite terroirs is the Steinertal (which is better known for Riesling.) It is one of the most distinctive vineyards in the world IMO, and always has a very long knife-edge mineral steeliness to it. Leo Alzinger makes a great GV, and FX Pichler makes AMAZING Riesling from this site. Tegernseerhof (despite their reputation for flabbiness) makes a very pure Riesling here as well.

I shall seek these out, thanks!

Otto, it's maybe less a question of producer than of body. Just take a look at the label: If it's not more than 12 or 12.5%abv, than the chance of getting a crisp and steelier example is much higher than anything above this mark.

Another hint: Try something like Weinviertel DAC, usually decently priced and more in the "classic" style. But I have no idea about what Alko Oy has on offer, and their homepage does not offer an English version.

Alko has had some Bründlmayer and Gobelsburg, but that's about it. But - yay! ordering from abroad is once again legal - I'm looking for new names. But how will lower abv's like Federspiel age? I guess what I am after is, who makes a seriously age worthy, elegant, steely style with lowish alcohol like Nikolaihof (whose Vinothek '91 GV was just 12,5%)? The federspiels I have thus far had, haven't seemed to be wines to age. And I would presume that there are more and less steely styles within the lower alcohol ranges also, depending on producer?

-Otto

who makes a seriously age worthy, elegant, steely style with lowish alcohol like Nikolaihof (whose Vinothek '91 GV was just 12,5%)?
-Otto

The Nikolaihof Vinothek is one in a million! Keep in mind that it was only recently bottled after just sitting around in cask for 14 or 15 years. Generally, I would use the same rule of thumb for ageing federspiel as that of dryish German Spaetlese. I've had some 'unclassified' (as there was no classification at the time) GVs from the '70s that I'm told were no riper than federspiel which aged beautifully. But I'm limited to only a few bottles experience. Perhaps Michael can shed some more light.

Otto, Bill is absolutely right. Nobody except Nikolaihof — and Hiedler some 30 years back (but that was another generation) — puts GV into a cask for longer than one year.

Thus said, a GV from a good producer with 12,5%abv should definitely be ageworthy for at least 5 to 7 years. I myself bought both 2006 GV Federspiels F. X. Pichler made, and I am damn sure that they will keep beautifully.

As to producers, there are simply too many that make good GV. You can assume that every single one you might ever had heard of in Wachau, Kamptal, Kremstal, Wagram, Traisental and Weinviertel is able to produce good GV for mid-term ageing.