2022 Muthenthaler Gruner Veltliner - Ried Schon

The Muthenthaler family has been farming their estate in the Spitzer Graben (Wachau) since 1894. Martin Muthenthaler returned to the family farm in 2005 and was joined by his wife, Melanie, in 2021. The vineyards are certified organic, and Martin does almost all of the vineyard work himself - including building and maintaining the terraces that are required in this steep terrain.

The Spitzer Graben is a subsection of the Wachau (Austria’s most famous wine region), located in a rugged side-valley away from the Danube River. The relative lack of river influence results in a cooler climate than the rest of the Wachau. This distinction wasn’t necessarily an advantage in previous centuries - both grüner veltliner and riesling struggled to ripen in many vintages. But climate change has turned the tables, and the Spitzer Graben is now producing many of the most complex and exciting white wines in Austria, without the challenges of over-ripeness that now confront growers in other regions (including in other parts of the Wachau),

Ried Schön comes from two grüner veltliner parcels that Martin planted in 2000. They are at 350 and 400 meters on extremely steep terraces, one facing west and the other southeast. The thin topsoil is rocky and sandy and rich in organic matter; the underlying bedrock is gneiss (nice!). The grapes were pressed slowly and then underwent spontaneous natural fermentation, followed by 10 months of aging in medium-sized oak vats and then a light filtering (but no fining) before bottling.

Importer Ted Vance characterizes the producer this way: “Martin’s wines are intense. Their core is dense and their architecture lacks fluff and fat—just like their maker: straight to the point, few curves, tight angles.” Ried Schön is all that and more: It seems carved from stone, with an intense purity, kaleidoscopic complexity, and very long finish. Yet it’s not all angles; there is texture and discreet fruit that suggests a particularly aromatic citrus. The wine uncoils with air, so decant it and/or swirl and drink it slowly in a large glass. Pairing possibilities include pork sausages or schnitzel, sushi, and goat’s milk cheeses.