2022 Richard Walzer Grüner Veltliner 'Ried Wolfsgraben'

100% sustainably farmed Grüner Veltliner hand harvested from 45 year old vines at “Ried Wolfsgraben”, one of the Walzer family’s most prized vineyards. It sits on gently sloping, terraced hillsides with southwest exposure, over deep loess soils.  Fermented and aged simply in stainless steel. 12.5% alcohol. 

A lighter style, with bright citrus fruit, just-ripe white peach, white pepper, parsley and chervil, even a hint of crisp radish. Beneath it all, a cool, thrumming minerality calling to mind wet river rocks. The palate is bright and lively, with a hint of spritz to it, layers of creamy texture undergirding it. Easy to drink on its own but also very food-friendly.

Richard presides over a miniscule estate with his partner Petra, producing 20 – 25,000 bottles a year from vineyards within half a mile of his winery. Born in 1980 to a family of winegrowers, he struck out on his own in the 2010s. His soils are 80% loess and 20% conglomerate and his vineyard practices would all be classified as sustainable. He also prefers whole-cluster fermentation. The wines are generous in flavour but polished, and he does not shrink from bucking trends in matters of dryness when the grapes tell him to do so!