2013 Riesling Kogelberg

In 2004, Barbara Öhlzelt took over her family’s then tiny estate based in Zöbing’s semi-rural Kellergasse. She continues for part of each year to operate a traditional Heuriger, dispensing her wine by the glass with rustic fare. While Zöbing is today known (if at all) for its share of the great Riesling-dominated Heiligenstein, Öhlzelt reports that this village was traditionally renowned for its Grüner Veltliner, and her own certainly make a convincing case for memorable and winsome distinctiveness. Many of the wines here are vinified and aged in acacia casks thanks to Öhlzelt’s having come upon a cache of these in the cellar of a local retiree. She had understandable qualms about making the move to wood given the idiosyncrasies of individual casks and the risks in assuming somebody else’s old collection of them, but they have performed splendidly. The next hesitancy (she called it “cowardice”) to overcome concerns spontaneous fermentation, although I certainly didn’t find the majority of Öhlzelt’s bottlings that relied on yeast cultures disappointing--to the contrary! Although she has exported a bit of wine as far away as the U.K., Öhlzelt remains an excellent candidate for the portfolio of any astute American importer. I’ll review shortly her full assortment of wines from the 2014 vintage.