2005 Grüner Veltliner Rosenberg

“After frost in February and then at Easter,” explained Bernhard Ott, “the spring of 2014 was quite dry.” As his two colleagues Karl Fritch and Franz Leth nodded, he stated that 2014 looked as if it would be an excellent vintage until late August. But as the weather turned cool and rainy, ripeness was stopped in its tracks. “Because we work biodynamically, we could not wait forever to harvest,” he told me. Like many in Wagram, he finished the crush by the middle of October and chose to extend his cold soaks to reduce the high acidity levels of the wines. In a bold step, he has decided to make no single-vineyard bottlings in 2014. “Everything will go into Der Ott,” he said. What I tasted from cask will leave some readers scratching their heads: many estates do not even make reserve wines of this quality.

For many consumers, Bernhard Ott is rightly the epitome not only of Wagram but of Grüner Veltliner production itself. He essentially makes nothing else, and so does not even write the variety on the front label, preferring names like Cask 4. A farmer at heart, he seldom travels, but receives his guests at the estate with the charm of a Gargantuan gentleman who enjoys eating, drinking and good conversation. In fact, he is one of the few leading Austrian producers that I know who has never been to the United States. “I prefer being in the vines,” he explained.

Of stately build, with long hair that is beginning to turn grey and a pair of old wire-rim glasses halfway down his nose, Ott is hard to miss in a crowd. Although he claims to prefer wines with less than 12.7% alcohol, most of his have the size of the man himself, and a number also sport a bit of residual sugar. A member of the ring of biodynamic producers called Respekt, Ott disdains irrigation and makes a wine in amphoras that he named Quevre. As a considerable proportion of the 300,000 bottles that he produces each vintage are exported, these are excellent Grüner Veltliner that are relatively easy to find.

For many consumers, Bernhard Ott is the epitome not only of Wagram, but of grüner veltliner as well. He essentially makes nothing else--and so does not even write the variety on the front label, preferring names like Cask 4 or simply those of the vineyards. A farmer by dedication, he seldom travels, but receives his guests at the estate with the charm of a gargantuan gentleman who enjoys eating, drinking and good conversation. In fact, he is one of the few leading Austrian producers that I know who has never been to the United States. "I prefer being in the vines," he told me. Of stately build, with long hair that is beginning to turn grey and a pair of old wire-rim glasses halfway down his nose, he is hard to miss in a crowd. Although he claims to prefer wines "with less than 12.7% alcohol," most of his have the size of the man himself, and a number of them also sport a tad of residual sugar. Like Fritsch, he is a member of the ring of biodynamic producers called Respekt, disdains irrigation and makes a wine in amphoras that he named Quevre. In some years, he also makes a grüner veltliner that is reminiscent of an Alsatian Vendange Tardive, which he labels Tausend Rosen, or one thousand roses. It may never have the refreshing brightness of a riesling, but, as with the 2006, a suave maturity that also has a charm of its own. As a considerable proportion of the 250,000 bottles that he produces each vintage are exported, these are wines that are relatively easy to find.Also recommended: 2012 Gruner Veltliner am Berg (87), 2012 Gruner Veltliner Fass 4 (88), 2011 Gruner Veltliner Der Ott (88). (Terry Theise Estate Selections/Michael Skurnik Wines, www.skurnikwines.com; The Age of Riesling, www.theageofriesling.com)

Bernie Ott pulled quite a surprise out of his sleeve with his 2003 Gruner Veltliner Tausend Rosen, which he had kept secret until he presented it to the Grand Jury Europeen in June of 2006 and promptly won first prize for gruner veltliners from the 2003 vintage. The wine, needless to say, immediately gained cult status in Austria. Ott now bottles all his wines with screwcaps. Also recommended: 2005 Sauvignon Blanc (88), 2005 Riesling Vom roten Schotter (89).