Austria’s spectacular 2021s

This was picked early, to ensure that a Federspiel could be made. It’s cool on the nose, with notes of lemon sherbet, and then grapefruit and plenty of freshness. There’s outstanding minerality, and plenty of precision on the finish. This lingers. Lovely.

This is the largest production of the estate, from two plots at the top of the hill, Postaler and Gaisberg, and then one from the bottom of the hill. It balances the richness and power of the bottom of the hill with the freshness of the top. This is so precise with lovely weight, and there’s salinity, a slightly oily texture, and an almost sweet and sour character. There’s lots of spice on the long finish.

The altitude here means it is picked late: one part at the end of October, and the other parts on November 10th and 11th. The resulting wine is so complex and intense, with an explosive palate of apricots, sea spray, and so much freshness. This is incredibly ripe, but is impeccably balanced with intense acidity. It’s a spectacularly pure, long, wine: one of the best we’ve tried this year.

From the bottom of the Kollmitz hill, Spitaler is a single vineyard, and this cuvée comes from just the old vines here, which were planted in 1962. This is so energetic with dark spice and an earthy character. This has so much phenolic freshness, with lots of intense, creamy fruit. Voluminous in the mouth, it all comes back together on the finish.

Some of the vines here were planted in the 1950s, with a small portion in 2002. This is intense and stony, with more vibrant acidity than the Spitaler. It’s more angular in the mouth, with lots of wild flowers and plenty of nervy acidity. It needs time, but when it comes together it will be spectacular.

This comes from mineral vineyards, not from Loess. It’s delicate, with notes of iodine and then a floral element. The finish spreads out and then there’s a bitterness here, too. This is explosive and very pure. This is a spectacular Grüner. So much oyster shell on the finish, and brilliantly balanced. Love this: very driven style.

This is the vineyard up the Spitzergraben, the coolest site, on the corner of the valley, where the cool air comes down from the plateau. Very precise and quite savoury on the nose. There’s notes of mint and plenty of stone fruit, and then an orange blossom character, too. So much vibrancy here: this has so much acidity, but nothing sticks out. This has everything dialled up.

Seven different batches, then blended together. Have vines from bottom to very top of hill. Bottom much riper typically, while the top is focussed. Together they are greater than the sum of its parts. The nose here is beguiling. Quite restrained, there’s some floral and spice, while the palate is concentrated and powerful. It fills the palate, with weight and texture, this is muscular and complex, and spectacularly long. Oyster shell and spice and pure fruit. Astounding. But rare.

The ‘baby Heiligenstein’ is astonishing in 2021. There’s incredible richness to the fruit, and there’s a weight and density here. The palate has a purity and detail to the yellow fruit, and there’s a texture and expressiveness that goes on and on.

This comes from the vineyard at the bottom of the Gaisberg hill, where there’s Loess that comes down from that vineyard. It’s so intense, fine-boned and beautiful, with lots of minerality on the finish. A beautiful expression of Grüner.