Journal
AktuellesStuart Pigott - James Suckling Tasting Report
Thursday, March 28, 2024https://www.jamessuckling.com/austria/
With his top dry whites of the 2022 vintage, Leo Sommer reached the top league of Austrian dry Riesling and Grüner Veltliner:
Stuart tasted more novel wines with the rising winemaker Leo Sommer at the ProWein trade fair in Dusseldorf. The most daring of these was the Sommer Riesling Burgenland Handwerk 2022, which has an enormous nose of white peach, dried red flowers and wild herbs. For a dry Riesling it has a generous tannin structure but also the concentration to easily carry this. Stuart loved the peach puree and sea salt character at the very dynamic finish.
Even more impressive was the Sommer Grüner Veltliner Leithaberg Ried Halser 2022, a game-changer for this grape in the Leithaberg region. It has all the smoke and chalk you could wish for in a dry white with mind-boggling flinty intensity married to great ripeness and beautiful balance.
With these wines Sommer has moved into Austria’s top league for dry Riesling and Gruner Veltliner.
Halser Leithaberg DAC Grüner Veltliner
> A game changing Grüner Veltliner
> Super concentration
> Mind-blowing flinty intensity
Tasting this is like being hit by a series of waves. In spite of this, it’s beautifully balanced right through to the end of this wild ride.
Handwerk Riesling
> Revolutionary Burgenland dry Riesling
> Stunning concentration and mineral energy
> A masterpiece
Handwerk Welschriesling
> A truly extraordinary wine for this grape
> Enormously salty
Salz und Rauch Grüner Veltliner
> A sleeping giant
> Intensely salty on the full-bodied palate
> Excellent aging potential
Little Sister Grüner Veltliner
A radical expression of gruner veltliner that’s light years removed from the Austrian classics.
The smoky and salty finish blasts right through the norms of the Austrian gruner category.
Himmelreich Leithaberg DAC Grüner Veltliner
> Super elegant
> Well-structured, high-end Grüner Veltliner
> Complex nose and very long, stony finish
Chardonnay Kalkschicht
Very focused on the medium-bodied palate. I love the interplay of chalky and lemon cream character through the long finish.
Riesling Quarz
Pristine nose of white peaches and spring blossoms. Impressive depth is packed into the sleek silhouette of this medium-bodied dry Riesling.