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Söllner

It was high time that I again paid a personal visit to biodynamic pioneers Daniela Vigne & Toni Söllner. Some 70 percent of their vines were netted beginning several years ago, and on the night of May 6, 2015, those nets successfully withstood their first, savage trial by hail, setting the stage for a crop generous in all respects. But the vintage was not without an additional challenge for the Söllners, since they report that if they hadn’t periodically carried water to their significant acreage of young vines, those might not have survived the hot, dry summer of 2015. Like many biodynamic growers, by no means only in Austria, the Söllners credit that approach in their vineyards with the ability to achieve ripe aromatics at modest must weights, a phenomenon especially evident in the lower price segment of their 2015 collection. Achieving outstanding Roter Veltliner at a mere 12 percent alcohol is a striking example. Twenty percent of the Söllners’ acreage is now planted to that traditional Wagram variety, of which they have developed their own loose-clustered, small-berried massal selection from 20 old vines. It thrives in sandy, gravelly soils too fast-drying to effectively support Grüner Veltliner or Riesling, according to Toni Söllner, and that drought-resistance certainly stood Roter Veltliner in good stead in 2015. I was pleasantly surprised, given that around half of the Söllners’ 2015s were bottled in March, that they shared with those destined for later bottling textural richness and a satisfying sense of stuffing even while being moderate in alcohol and refreshingly bright. Picking here took place largely in the first half of October. (Details concerning the sites and vines that inform many Söllner wines can be found in my tasting notes on their 2013s, which are preceded by a brief introduction to the estate.)

From Austria’s 2015 Rieslings & Grüner Veltliners: Ripe & Ready (Feb 2017) by David Schildknecht

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2015 Grüner Veltliner Toni

Release Price: $15

Color: White

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