One of my all time favourite white wine varieties is grüner vetliner. I love the zest, the pepper, the energy this wine gives. It can be very generous in aromatics - but not the in the way familiar to most average wine drinkers. You won’t detect much tropical fruit, pretty flowers or lots of brioche. In its own right, it is distinct and exciting…..It’s as though grüner has become the kind of the rebel or the high school outcast who’s finally getting the recognition it deserves for its unique qualities and characteristics. Walk into any restaurant or wine bar in Montreal and you can almost guarantee that a grüner will be poked in there somewhere. Austria’s signature wine grape is making quite the impression and you have the producers and winemakers to thank for that. Attending an Austrian Masterclass in Melbourne a few years back, it was eye opening to taste through such clean, pristine and expressive wines. California, Australia, and even parts of New Zealand are planting this variety with hopes that it will find a second home there, but for now I am supremely happy to be drinking my Austrian 2012 Geyerhof Rosensteig - a prime example of how charming Grüner can be.
Geyerhof is a very small winery located in Niederösterreich and they focus on organic and biodynamic practices. Much of the work they do is done manually, and this includes harvesting. They only do whole bunch pressings and in the cellar they operate with as little intervention as possible.
The vineyard Rosensteig grows on a conglomerate of Danube sediments mixed with sand. This allows the minerality in the wine to shine. The vineyard is just beside the Danube, and can sometimes be quite windy. However, this is on a positive note as the wind keeps the grapes healthy and retain freshness allowing for plenty of acidity. One very big advantage of being located in the Rosensteig is that it allows for very late harvesting without getting too much alcohol. The result is a very ripe, but light wine.
My wine of the week is the Weingut Geyerhof Rosensteig Grüner Vetliner 2012
Grapes are manually harvested before going through whole bunch pressing, and pre-filtration in stainless steel tanks. Extended period of maturation on lees.
Pale lemon in color, the nose gives way to fresh lemon zest, and white pepper with a kiss of cumin. On the palate, the mouth watering acidity and minerality is rounded by juicy citrus and ripe pear, and that shadow of white pepper and arugula. The medium finish is clean, bright and leaves you wanting just another sip. And then another…..
Wine and Producer: Weingut Geyerhof Rosensteig Grüner Vetliner 2012
Grape: Grüner Vetliner
Alcohol: 12.5%
Price: $23.20
SAQ Code: 12676307
Agent: RéZin
http://www.geyerhof.at
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