2022 Grüner Veltliner, Kamptaler Terrassen, Willi Bründlmayer, Kamptal, Austria
About this WINE
Willi Brundlmayer
Willi Bründlmayer is widely recognised as one of Austria's most gifted winemakers. He is best known for his Rieslings and Grüner Veltliners, although he also makes very high quality Chardonnays.
He has 57 hectares of vineyards, superbly sited high up on slopes around the wine town of Langenlois. His best site is the Heiligenstein vineyard where the rocky granite/slate soils produce Rieslings of astonishing mineral intensity, which age beautifully.
Kamptal
Kamptal’s vineyards in Lower Austria lie around the river Kamp, running north-east from the Wachau, but the region is dominated by the dramatic hill of Heiligenstein, around which the regions finest vineyards are to be found.
Without the moderation of the Danube, this is a hotter, drier region. Riesling and Grüner Veltliner are still important, although other varieties, including red, make an appearance. The wines are fleshier but more accessible than those of the Wachau, but also manage to accentuate the spicy notes to be found in these varieties.
Recommended Producers:
Willi Bründlmayer was one of the first to make a name internationally, but his friend Michael Moosbrugger at Schloss Gobelsburg makes arguably the most complex wines of the region. Weingut Hiedler offers fine value for money.
Grüner Veltliner
Grüner Veltliner is Austria's most famous grape variety. It is indigenous to Austria and is grown extensively in every Austrian wine region with the exception of Steiermark. It constitutes 36% of all vineyard plantings with the best wines coming from the north-east of the country, particularly regions such as the Wachau, Kamptal and Kremstal which border the Danube river.
Grüner Veltliner is a late ripening variety that typically produces wines that are pale green in colour and display fruit notes of grapefruits, limes, pears, and sometimes hints of white pepper. They normally possess a steely backbone of acidity which enables the best bottles to age gracefully. The grape's natural acidity accompanied by its restrained and understated fruit characters makes its wines ideal partners for food. A marvellous alternative to the more mainstream white grape varieties.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
The Kamptal region of Austria is home to some of the world’s most masterful wines, and this cuvée from Weingut Bründlmayer is an incredibly good-value window into its unique terroir and expert winemaking. The colour is a bright, straw yellow, and the nose bursts with aromatics, with ripe apples and hints of elderflower and acacia flowers. The palate is beautifully smooth, with flavours of ripe peaches paired with a mouthwatering minerality, reminiscent of the stony soils upon which the Grüner Veltliner is planted, up on the elevated terraces. This finish is long, finessed and very energetic. A versatile and immensely enjoyable wine, pair with Asian cuisine and seafood dishes.
Katie Merry, Assistant Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd
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