Gobelsburg Steinsetz Gruner Veltliner 2021

Since opening the store in 2006 I have sold many, many, many bottles of Schloss Gobelsburg Gruner Veltliner.  Indeed, if you are receiving this email, I have probably sold (or attempted to sell) some to you!

Gobelsburg remains a benchmark producer for me, with some of their Gruners now long-aged in my cellar and still going strong. Gobelsburg itself was founded as a monastery and winery by a land grant from the King of Austria in 1171.  Wine has been continually produced here for over 850 years, with Michael Moosbrugger – several times Austrian Vintner of the Year – still at the helm, making the wines.

Every year we strive to offer these wines to the clients that have bought them before in order to try and keep our prices low and allocations high. This is that offer.

Steinsetz is the flagship, the standard-bearer Grüner that taught me that Grüner can be as splendid as white Burgundy. To me, it is the best value among the Veltiners. It’s a parfait of lilacs, wisteria and tarragon; it has energy, focus and flow; the wine is almost creamy, yet it’s lavish and light, cheerful and accommodating, a wine in high spirits, and up for anything. It is, honestly, impossible to imagine anything better for this price. Indeed, impossible to imagine anything better, period.

Renner. The most open, expressive and forthright of the higher tiers of the estate’s wines. Always impressive, always super fun to drink. For people who have never experienced why Grüner is so darned good, this will blow their minds.

The vineyard lies at the foot of the Gaisberg, on eroded gneiss with a lot of paragneiss, mica and amphibolite, all under a blanket of loess. Its wines are as good as the Lamm, which is a warmer site giving wines of greater amplitude and stature. Yet Renner’s quality of flavor and complexity of nuance are incomparable, and I often have it next to the Lamm just to make sure I’m not being diddled by my subjective preference for minerality. The ’19 smells glorious. It’s completely stunning, and it leads to a palate that’s fervidly spicy and texturally lush; the minerality is swollen and the wine is as powerful and bold as I always remember. Truly a great vintage for Renner!

While I would hate to make the claim that this is Austria’s “best” wine estate, I would say that there are none better.