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Weingut Bernhard Ott, Grüner Veltliner “Fass 4”

Lower Austria, Austria 2016 (750mL)
$28.00
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Weingut Bernhard Ott, Grüner Veltliner “Fass 4”

Bernhard Ott is straightforward about his passions: “Ich bin ein Veltliner!” (“I am Veltliner”) is his marketing battle cry, which he backs up with a lineup of some of the best single-vineyard expressions of the grape found anywhere. In his case, that’s the Wagram region, and more specifically, the villages of Feuersbrunn and Engabrunn.
Today’s wine—a perennial SommSelect favorite and a worthy follow-up to the flashy 2015—is a blend of fruit from several vineyards, including the iconic “Rosenberg” in Feuersbrunn, and has become a sought-after bottling thanks to the incredible value-for-dollar it offers. “Fass 4” (meaning “Barrel #4, even though the wine is aged in steel) is a name derived from a particularly successful “lot” of wine Ott produced many years ago; it is now a flagship cuvée for the winery—a powerful, evocative introduction to an estate whose devotion to Grüner is second to none. If you haven’t yet tried Ott’s wines, now is the time to check out one of Austria’s ascendant superstars. This is next-level Grüner Veltliner and, in some ways, a throwback: Whereas many modern Grüner-makers are striving for greater richness and fruit extraction, this is first and foremost a mineral-driven wine—the thing I love most about this variety and this place.
Located just east of the Wachau/Kremstal/Kamptal triumvirate, the Wagram (formerly Donauland) sees the same interplay of Alpine air from the northwest and warmer air from the Pannonian plain to the east. The soils are dominated by loess, a sedimentary soil of sand and silt that is a little deeper and richer than some of the “primary rock” (gneiss, schist, granite) found further west. It is Grüner Veltliner’s preferred soil type, producing richer, deeper styles with distinctive spice characteristics. 

The Ott family has been in the Wagram since 1889. Fourth-generation Bernhard Ott took over for his father in 1995, and his first order of business was a total overhaul of the property—including a wholesale conversion to biodynamic farming. His 28 hectares of vineyards, 90% of which are planted to Grüner Veltliner, are now certified biodynamic by an Austrian body called RESPEKT.

“Fass 4” is sourced from an assortment of vineyards around the family’s top crus, “Rosenberg” and “Spiegel,” and is fermented and aged in stainless steel. The 2016 vintage is a more finely etched, chiseled wine than the rich 2015, with a more citrusy, lively feel: In the glass, it is a classic pale straw-gold with hints of silver and green at the rim, with perfumed aromas of key lime, white grapefruit pith, green apple, fresh green herbs, white pepper, and crushed rock. The palate is medium-bodied and mouth-watering, with citrus flavors carrying through to a stony, herbal finish. Ott has remarked that the conversion to biodynamics has enabled him to harvest Grüner a little earlier without sacrificing physiological ripeness—something I think is illustrated in this wine, which has the kind of gripping acidity (and moderate alcohol/residual sugar) than many modern Grüners lack. It would certainly reward short-term aging (2-5 years), but I’m happy to drink it now: Serve this ultra-refreshing, appetite-whetting white at 45-50 degrees in white wine stems paired with the fresh, green flavors of Spring that are all around us right now: This wine is screaming for a chilled pea soup with mint. I can already taste them together, so I better get to cooking. Cheers!
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Country
Austria
Region
Lower Austria
Sub-Region
AustriaWagram
Soil
Loess
Farming
Certified Biodynamic
Blend
Grüner Veltliner 100%
Alcohol
12.5
TEMP.
50
Glassware
All-Purpose White
Drinking
Now-2023
Decanting
Optional
Pairing
Minty Pea Soup

Austria

Northeastern Austria

Weinviertel

Considered by most to be the oldest growing zone in Austria, Weinviertel is also, geographically, the largest in the country and covers the vast, northeastern expanse of Lower Austria, stretching from the western border of Slovakia, following the Danube inland and veering up to the southern border of Czechia. Its name, which translates to “wine quarter,” reflects the region’s rich, ancient wine heritage and, according to the Weinviertel DAC website, there are “7,000 years of artifacts to prove it.”

Northeastern Austria

Wachau

Austria’s Wachau appellation is the country’s most acclaimed region. About an hour northwest of Vienna along the Danube River, the vista of the steep, terraced vineyards of the Wachau creates a magnificent landscape akin to a verdant, ancient amphitheater—it is a UNESCO World Heritage site, after all. With rich and unique soils here of löess and gneiss, which lend vivid minerality to the wine.

Eastern Austria

Burgenland

The Burgenland appellation, running along Austria’s border with Hungary southeast of Vienna, has a diverse topography and a mix of soils, with more primary rock and slate at higher locations and dense loams in the rolling hills that extend toward the Pannonian plain.

Southeastern Austria

Steiermark

The region of Styria (Steiermark) is in southeastern Austria which sits near the border with Slovenia. This area is studded with long-extinct volcanoes whose deposits are a key component of the local soils and the vineyards benefit from a classic Austrian push-pull of cool Alpine air and warmer “Pannonian” currents from the east.

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