2019 Bründlmayer Lamm Grüner Veltliner

Bründlmayer

Austria / Kamptal / Bründlmayer

The Lamm vineyard has a soil of chalky clay and loess on siltstone. It is a south-facing slope bordering the east of the “Heiligenstein” – one of the warmest sites in our wine growing area.
Grapes from this site reach a high degree of ripeness and concentration, which brings a generous expression more generally associated with Burgundy varieties. “Lamm” is the quintessence of a monumental Grüner Veltliner; it abandons the lightness and prickle that Grüner Veltliner usually stands for.
Physiologically ripe and botrytis-free grapes were harvested in small cases at the end of November at low temperatures and transported as fast as possible into the winery. Grapes are handled carefully without the use of pumps, then slowly and gently pressed to allow some skin contact yet avoiding the transfer of too harsh tannins or cloudy residues into the must.
The must ferments in 2- to 3-year-old 300-litre Austrian oak (and partly new acacia) casks. After fermentation the wine is racked into 2500-litre oak or acacia barrels, together with 5-10% of the lees where it remains until bottling at the end of August of the following year. Harvested on 6th and 17th October 2019. Alcohol 13%; RS dry; acidity 7.3g/L.
Draws a broad arc that leads from hazel leaves over fully ripe apricot to bergamot orange. Crystal clear and multi-layered, very distinguished and with deep intensity that is still difficult to grasp. Chocolatey fullness and slowly fading oak tannins, but despite all its strength, finesse always sets the tone. A Grüner Veltliner that inspires dreams but shall require time. - Andreas Wickhoff MW, Bründlmayer

September, 2020

Stuart Pigott

jamessuckling.com

96 points.

Intensely herbal, but also subtle with very interesting smoky and sweet vegetal (think snow pea and chickpea) notes. This is a powerful but graceful wine that has great, citrusy and mineral freshness running through it. Stunning finish that leaves no doubt. Great aging potential. Drink or hold.

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About Bründlmayer

This is probably Austria's number one estate outside the Wachau. If you are to believe former World Champion sommelier Andreas Larsson, Bründlmayer is in fact the nation’s finest, bar none. However you look at it, this is another one of the world’s top white winegrowers. The winery is situated in Langenlois, some 70 km northwest of Vienna, upstream along the Danube in the Lower Austrian Kamp Valley. The wooded hills of the Waldviertel protect the vineyards from the cold north-westerly winds. During the day, the sun warms the stony terraces, while at night the fresh, fragrant forest air drifts through the Kamp Valley into the Langenloiser Arena. The Kamptal is not far from the Wachau or Kremstal but it does throw up a whole different terroir and style mix. Grüner Veltliner and Riesling are still kings but there are no Federspiel/Smaragd categories. The wines of Bründlmayer are dry, mineral, powerful and harmonious.
Since 1980 this talented winemaker has transformed 125 acres of terraces, set above the Danube in Langenlois, into a beacon for Austrian wine. Jancis Robinson on Willi Bründlmayer

About

“Since 1980 this talented winemaker has transformed 125 acres of terraces, set above the Danube in Langenlois, into a beacon for Austrian wine.” So wrote Jancis Robinson of Willi Bründlmayer, who inherited from his father a love and respect for nature that has become more profound through travels to other major winegrowing regions of the world. Only organic fertilisers such as composted vegetable matter are used in the estate’s vineyards. Ecological harmony has absolute priority here: when old vineyards are grubbed up they are left fallow for five years before replanting so that the soil can regain its natural fertility; clover and wild herbs regenerate it and create an ideal meadow habitat for bees and butterflies. To prevent erosion, water sumps have been created at regular intervals, which also help to improve the micro-climate. Willi never uses herbicides to control the growth of weeds. Thanks to him, the family name has become synonymous with reliable, top-quality Austrian winemaking, making some of the very best wines the country has to offer. At the turn of the millennium, Decanter magazine cited Willi among the 50 most likely people to change the face of the world of wine in the coming decades, which goes some way to demonstrating the esteem in which he is held at home and in the broader world of wine.