2014 Riesling Steinhaus

My two brief 2015 visits with the Steiningers were focused on their sparkling wines (which I discussed in detail in my previous report), but I managed to sample most of their still wines of vintage 2014. This is an estate that merits following annually and which I have been remiss in not having begun covering years ago. The 2014 harvest here began with Riesling because, says Karl Steininger, that grape is especially ill-served by creeping alcohol, especially in sparkling format. Left unsaid was that there was especially strong pressure from botrytis with this grape variety. Yet this year’s Seeberg Riesling is strikingly and singularly successful. On paper, the Steiningers’ Grüner Veltliner of 2014 are relatively high in alcohol for the vintage (at between 13% and 13.5% even with 4-5 grams of residual sugar) and low in acidity (all being well under 6 grams), but on the palate they are, in vintage-typical fashion, refreshingly lively and not at all heavy.