Like the great Pichler-Krutzler and Johannes Hirsch, Fred Loimer is a Riesling whisperer. Born and raised in a winegrowing family, he knew he wanted to be a winemaker like his father and grandfather. In the late 1980s, after completing his wine studies in Austria, followed by apprenticeships in Germany and California, he joined his father, Alfred. In 1997, he moved the winery to the outskirts of the village of Langenlois. This is the heart of the Kamptal DAC, named after the Kamp River which cuts the region in almost equal halves, left side and right. It was a pinnacle year for the estate, signaling the change of hands from traditional father to progressive son. 

In the late 1990s, the Loimer name began to harness momentum, becoming one of the first recognizable and relatable producers of Austrian wine in the United States. A smart and creative businessman, Fred Loimer excelled at tasks winemakers typically struggle with: marketing, branding, and connecting with American wine drinkers. In the early 2000s, he launched an affordable line of Grüner called “LOIS” which was, and still is, hugely successful. But being a rare, supernatural “jack of all trades” has its downsides. Some buyers unfairly pegged Loimer as a “commercial” success, rather than a “fine wine” success. But the contrary couldn’t be more heartfelt—beneath the savvy business acumen, there is, and always has been, a brilliant winemaker. 

In the last decade, the whole range of Fred’s wines has gained a surreal dimension of purity. Today, a hyper-modern black cube is the face of the Loimer estate. Built in the late 1990s, it is an insight into Loimer’s mind at the turn of the century, a drive for simplicity and supreme elegance in the future wines. His immediate changes began in the cellar: exchanging small barrels for traditional old casks; encouraging spontaneous fermentation; and patiently letting wines age, uninterrupted on the lees (spent yeast cells). Then, in 2006, he took another fearless step forward with the practice of biodynamics in the vineyard, becoming a founding member of Respekt-BIODYN, an elite, hardcore certifying body for biodynamic viticulture in Austria and beyond. Today, it represents viticulture’s ‘best of the best.’ 

Today’s wine comes from Loimer’s biodynamic vineyards, a mix of old and young vines from the Kamptal’s premier villages—from the gneiss soils of Langenlois, Zöbing, and Mollands, to the gravel and loess of Gobelsburg. While Riesling grown in various soils produces a range of aromatics in the glass, Riesling from the Kamptal is hugely defined by its unusual climate, the confluence of the dry and hot Pannonian climate (from the east) and the rough and cool winds of the Waldviertel (from the northwest). This integration of hot and cold creates a phenomenal diurnal pendulum; very warm days shift to very cold nights. And with Riesling, a naturally late-ripening variety, this phenomenon encourages the grapes to hang on the vine a little longer, fostering wines of airplane aromatics while preserving their core of fresh acidity.     

A Loimer classic, today’s Riesling Langenlois 2017 marks the 30th year of this wine and by good fortune, also represents a strong vintage for Austrian Riesling. The grapes were picked from the middle of October to the end, then whole-bunch pressed after a short skin maceration for 12 hours. Fermentation was followed by a conservative four months’ aging in steel before bottling. While this wine has plenty of bones and acidity to hold on for many years, it’s all about the fresh fruits, cold stones, and that hair-raising Riesling prickly quality. I would give the wine a quick splash decant to loosen up the aromatics that tend to coil under screwcap and serve it at 45-50 degrees in an all-purpose glass or specialty Riesling stem. 

In the glass, a watery green-straw core bends into a brilliant platinum rim. On the nose, the wine is sensational, with white peach, green mango peel, lime blossom, petrol, wet rock, and accents of wildflowers and herbs which grow between the vines. The suspense on the nose over-delivers on the palate, moving from cold stone mineral, into fruit, and back to mineral, then repeat. The warmth of the Kamptal sways into the sides of the palate, and hangs out for a while, before a classic, salivating, lightning-bolt Riesling finish. Riesling is a lover of so many foods that it is cruel and unfair to pick one, so let’s give a nod to Austria and the blazing accomplishments of Fred Loimer. Just as Austrian wine has its talents beyond Grüner Veltliner, Austrian cuisine is so much greater than schnitzel and strudel (although both are delicious). Liptauer is a traditional Austrian/Hungarian cheese spread popular in the wine taverns of Austria that screams for Riesling, kind-of like a Southerner’s pimento cheese, but better. Like Riesling, Liptauer is insanely versatile, a satisfying condiment for breads, crackers, sandwiches, and fried platters. And who better to copy a recipe from than the Austrian master himself, Wolfgang Puck. They recommend serving it with dark bread, but remember to keep the wine light, white, and Riesling!