In every group of friends there are certain dynamics and roles that stick. In ours one of the roles of @Otto_Forsberg is to point out whenever anyone is popping a bottle from a substandard vintage, which he plays to perfection. My local supermarket was offering veal sirloin today so I decided to cook some proper Wiener schnitzels with mashed potatoes. I had this matured Grüner Veltliner lined up and grabbed it without hesitation. As I shared the photo in our Whatsapp group Otto appropriately brought up that the vintage was ”sh1t” in the region. I didn’t question his take but still went and Googled the vintage, with the following being one of the top hits:
Yikes, that’s really not great at all. Fortunately, as is the case, vintage generalizations are just generalizations and the proof is in the pudding. The fact is that this is a damn nice 11 year old bottle of Grüner. The color is that of an older wine but otherwise this is spry and blossoming. If anything I am really excited for this relatively (but only relatively) moderate ripeness and concentration that allows the beautiful acidity to shine through. The pairing with the schnitzel was money but this drinks majestically well on its own too. Killer stuff.
- 2014 Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner 1ÖTW Reserve Ried Renner - Austria, Niederösterreich, Kamptal (13.9.2025)
Quite dark golden color for a 11 year old. A very attractive savory nose with ripe yellow apple, mirabelle, textbook white pepper, a hint of tinned pineapple and herbal notes. Some really nice woolly patina on the aromatics without coming off as properly old. There is also a slight indication that part of the grapes used might have been botrytized. On the palate it has nice volume and certain ripeness but also terrific acidity that becomes more pronounced towards the finish. The flavor profile is largely identical to the aromatics but somewhat more restrained. There is great vibrancy and vitality to it and even some appealing tension. This is at a really great stage with impeccable balance harmony, this is absolutely seamless all the way to the long finish. In terms of drinkability this ranks unexpectedly high, kudos to the moderate alcohol and brisk acidity.
Posted from CellarTracker
