|
The
wines of Schloss Gobelsburg, Langenlois, Kamptal, Austria Weingut Schloss Gobelsburg, A-3550 Langenlois, Austria
In terms of varietal composition, the vineyards are split
three ways, with half devoted to Grüner Veltliner, 25% to Riesling
and the rest to red varieties. The relatively high proportion of red
grapes stems from the history of the winery: the Cistercians here had
a close connection with their brothers in Burgundy, and were
responsible for bringing Pinot Noir to the region. Most of these wines are from 2002, which was an odd but
surprisingly successful vintage. A hot June and July were followed by
floods in August. This was followed by a cool September, but then a
hot October really helped save quality. In the end, it turned out to
be a very balanced vintage. Michael considers that Grüner Veltliner is a good
all-rounder with food. It’s spicier than Chardonnay. 5–10 years
ago it was less expensive than Riesling: now it’s about the same,
indicating that it’s popularity is rising. It’s a late harvested
variety, picked in November after the Riesling. One of Michael’s goals is to show Grüner Veltliner in
its different facets and personalities. The vineyards have quite
different geologies and this is something that he’s keen to see
expressed in the wines. He thinks that cloned vine material – such a common feature in modern vineyards – is generally a bad thing. Instead, Michael takes cuttings from the mixed old vine vineyards which he then uses to make new plantings. It's
hard to fault these wines, which show impressive concentration and
lots of character. UK availability: represented by Lance Foyster's FWW
and some are stocked by Noel Young (including the impressive Tradition
GV), with the GV Lamm a recent listing by Waitrose for its flagship
Kingston and Canary Wharf branches. Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner Renner 2002 Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner Steinsetz 2002 Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner Lamm 2002 Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner Tradition 2001 Schloss Gobelsburg Riesling Urgestein 2002 Schloss Gobelsburg Riesling Heiligenstein 2002 Schloss Gobelsburg Riesling Gaisberg Alte Reben 2002 see
also: tasting notes of Austrian wines |
Schloss
Gobelsburg is a historic winery, owned by a Cistercian monastery and
possessing wonderful old vineyards in the Kamptal region. This is one
of the three top quality Danube areas of Austria and altogether has
just 2500 hectares of vines. Gobelsburg have around 40 of these.
It’s the oldest winery in the region, founded in 1171, and it was
run by the monks themselves until 1995. In 1996 winemaking and
management responsibilities were taken over by Michael Moosbrugger (right),
who was showing these wines. He took a soft-revisionist approach,
changing the winemaking process and restructuring the vineyards, but
only where necessary. The leap in quality has been dramatic.