2017 Ambrositsch Grüner Veltliner Revision, Vienna

The following tasting notes are written by Marco Kalkbrenner, Jutta Ambrositsch's husband and are possibly the most precise (and funny) notes you'll ever read.

As Ambrositsch has chosen to not be in the DAC, they cannot use the vineyard names on the label, but this wine comes from one of their prized vineyards, the Reisenberg.  It was planted all to Gruner Veltliner in the 1960’s. Ambrositsch described the soil as creamy and stinky, mainly with slate and gneiss. The vines are planted quite spaced out and they only make a maximum of 1,000 bottles per year. The wine is quite structured and rich, a beautiful gruner from 50+ year-old vines.

The beam of a headlight cuts through the darkness. Drives through a forest after sunset. Resin, pine needles and foliage in the air. Not far from the edge of the road, an anteater uses its long, sharp tongue to grind a piece of bark into a veritable diamond. On the menu tonight: red curry. Tamarind and Thai basil dominate, but only momentarily. “1979” by the Smashing Pumpkins sounds from the speakers. Now, cumin and fenugreek. A cool evening in Tehran. Pre-1979. Nana mint, angostura and tea. Infused with the oh-so-typical minerality of slate and gneiss from the glorious Reisenberg in Vienna. 60-year-old Veltliner vines in very special soil. Accompanied by Japanese plums, preserved in salt and red shiso leaves. Bold melancholy in a quiet gown.