2021 Schloss Gobelsburg Kamptal - Riesling Heiligenstein
Regular price $80.00
Schloss Gobelsburg was established as a Cistercian monastic estate in Langenlois, Austria close to a millennium ago. Monks from the Zwettl Monastery were granted their first vineyards, including the Ried Heiligenstein from which this wine comes, in 1171, so this is a wine with a long and important history! Schloss Gobelsburg now is run by Eva and Michael Moosbrugger, who continue the organic farming practices initiated by the Zwettl monks in the late 1950s. Langenlois is within the Kamptal DAC (Austrian wine appellation), a small but mighty wine region that makes prized rieslings and grüner veltliners. The Heiligenstein vineyard is characterized by 250-million-year-old Permian desert sandstone with feldspar (volcanic) and siltstone. It is one of the Kamptal’s vineyards that is designated as “1 ÖTW” (Österreichische Traditionsweingüter, or Austrian Traditional Wineries), which correspond roughly to Premier Cru vineyards in Burgundy.
Schloss Gobelsburg Kamptal Riesling Ried Heiligenstein ferments and ages for about 18 months in 500-liter Austrian oak casks. Austrian rieslings - especially top-tier wines like this one - typically are dry and powerful, with more weight and stuffing than their German counterparts. That’s certainly true here: rich stone-fruit flavors are laced with a fierce and penetrating minerality and a hint of tertiary character from several years of bottle age. According to the Moosbruggers, Heiligenstein typically hits its full stride six to eight years after harvest and will age for 35 to 40 years, but this wine is indubitably compelling right now. It is worth decanting and of course shouldn’t be drunk too cold. Pair it with an elegant fish dish, such as Nobu’s miso-marinated black cod, or dry curries.