Gruner Veltliner has seen quite the meteoric rise over the past 15 years. This native Austrian variety has gone from near obscurity (in the American market), to being a staple of great wine lists and shops the country over. This surge in popularity shouldn't be surprising however, given the wine's chameleon-like ability to express itself, much like the great Chardonnay and Riesling of the world. Its style can range from simple and quaffable to rich and profound, with the ability to age for decades.
Today's wine takes a little from both camps - it's bright and fresh, with crystalline fruit and refreshing cut, yet as the wine opens, it gains in stature and complexity, evolving subtly over the course of an evening. It's a deceptive wine in this way, vibrant and refreshing while simultaneously delivering layers of crisp fruit, angular minerals and Gruner's distinct white-peppery spice. A wine suited perfectly for Spring's bounty of fresh vegetables, especially notoriously wine-challenging asparagus and artichoke.
There is tension and class here that's unheard of in any other white at this price point. In the words of Vinous magazine, this is 'a proper little livewire.'
Today, I'm thrilled to offer the only bottles of 2022 Pichler-Krutzler 'Dürnstein' Gruner Veltliner in South Carolina. |
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Energetic, young-vine Grüner Veltliner from sandy, gravely parcels around the town of Dürnstein, on banks of the Danube. The vineyard is flat and takes to sun extremely well, but the river helps temper the warmth. Harvested early to retain high acidity, then directly pressed and fermented in steel tanks. It ages in theses same tanks, on the lees, for five months before bottling in the spring.
Lifted and fresh, it opens with a bouquet of apple blossom, lemon, grapefruit, gun flint reduction and white pepper. This wine really shines on the palate, offering savory white miso and striking saline minerals balanced by green orchard fruit and zippy lemon acidity, which are countered perfectly by soft textures from the extended lees aging. This is my ultimate Spring wine. |
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Elisabeth Pichler-Krutzler and her husband Erich Krutzler both come from well established wineries in Austria. Elisabeth being the daughter of the revered F. X. Pichler and Erich the heir to the Krutzler family estate, both having had stints at their respective family wineries.
Their marriage meant it was only a matter of time before they started inheriting parcels and melding those holdings together. The result? A winery founded in 2007 that has dazzled collectors with their string of wine from unique sites right on the Danube river.
Organic farming and native yeast are the default of every wine. While their entry-level wines are vinified in stainless steel, most aging is done in neutral barrels of varying sizes, all the way up to 1500Ls. A tightrope balance of modernity and tradition is the goal, while quality remains front and center. The wines certainly speak to that. |
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2022 Pichler-Krutzler 'Dürnstein' Gruner Veltliner - $36.99
*SPECIAL NEWSLETTER PRICE - $34.99
*SPECIAL 3-PACK PRICE - $31.99/btl
To order, reply directly to this email or call me at 843.576.4845
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Justin Coleman
Proprietor
Monarch Wine Merchants |
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