2013 Grüner Veltliner Georgenberg

Located in out-of-the-way Tiefenthal near the Wagram’s boundary with the vast Weinviertel, Josef Ehmoser has been in charge at his family’s estate since 1996, but regrettably escaped my attention until a few samples reached me last year. Visiting with him this past June was an inspiration. Perhaps not so coincidentally, his vineyards aren’t far from the Breitenwaida cellar of his friend Ingrid Groiss, another of the most exciting young talents in Lower Austria. The Hohenberg is loess, while the Georgenberg, a formerly ecclesiastical site, is gravel overlaid with loess. Tanks are being supplemented sparingly with concrete eggs and casks, with emphasis on quality and retention of lees. I tasted only a subset of Ehmoser’s 2013s, but will report soon on his full 2014 collection.