“2021 vintage was for us almost perfect – we had during the whole vegetation period enough rain, enough sunshine and everything at the right time.
“And of course we then had a perfect autumn, with quite cool temperatures even if the days were sunny and nicely warm. And we had next to no rainfall so the grapes stayed perfectly healthy.
“Because of the cooler temperatures the onset of ripeness was not too fast and so sugar levels were moderate. The resulting wines did not have too much alcohol. They actually ended up exactly how we like then.
“And the cool night temperatures that we experienced in 2021 helped us to keep lively acidity. We had the chance to wait for perfect ripeness before picking all of our vineyards. We were able to stay patient till all grapes tasted perfect.
“In years like 2021 when we harvest a little bit later, we see that the wines are really expressive and show almost gleaming fruit. When we have time to keep grapes on the vines a little bit longer, more aromas develop. And because of the great ripeness, the acidity we have in the wines is really round and “soft” because we have much more tartaric acidity than malic acidity – which is a good indicator for physiological ripeness.
“If every vintage were like 2021 I would probably have fewer wrinkles!” – Ingrid Groiss
2021 Groiss Weinviertel Grüner Veltliner $32
100% Grüner Veltliner from calcareous loess and ferruginous soils. Selectively hand harvested in September and October in several steps. Eight hours’ maceration on the skins. Gently pressed without stems and fermented with a combination of vineyard and neutral yeasts. Aged on the full lees in stainless steel tank. – Ingrid Groiss
This gorgeously lively 2021 Grüner Veltliner is juicy yet finely delineated. The nose is highly floral, with jasmine and elderflower notes above wet stones. There’s nutmeg and white pepper, too. It has a mouthfilling juiciness but is also sleek and straight through the mouth. It’s clean and slaty and snakes along through the finish with ripples of ripe acidity.- Ed Merrison, CellarHand
2021 Groiss Gemischter Satz $32
Gemischter Satz is a wine from different grape varieties that are grown together in a single vineyard. The grapes are hand-harvested together and are also processed together. It’s the most traditional way of planting in Austria. Among the varieties in Ingrid Groiss’s Gemischter Satz are Chardonnay, Müller Thurgau, Welschriesling, Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Grauburgunder, Pinot Blanc, Frühroter Veltliner, Neuburger, Zierfandler, Rotgipfler, Sämling, Roter Veltliner, Grauer Vöslauer, Hietl Rote, Weiße Vöslauer and Silberweiße. The soils are calcareous conglomerate.
Selective hand harvesting in October. Ten hours’ maceration on the skins. Gentle pressing without stems before spontaneous fermentation. Aged on full lees in stainless steel tank till bottling. – Ingrid Groiss
Elderflowery note among lots of flowers on the nose. Green and yellow fruits and a touch of seaspray. It’s medium-bodied with lots of fresh juice running the gamut of yellow-green fruits, but it’s anchored by a firm, stony core with crab apple crunch and spice. Flowing yet taut in feel, with a refreshing briny twist on the finish. – Ed Merrison, CellarHand
2020 Groiss Hasenhaide Rosé $30
Groiss Hasenhaide Rosé is from a vineyard whose name means “garden of the hares”. A blend of Pinot Noir and Zweigelt from soils of crushed rock with chalk. The bunches were selectively hand harvested over several passes. The grapes were given eight hours of skin contact before gentle pressing. Kept on the lees until bottling. Fermented and raised in stainless steel. Alcohol 12.5%; RS 1.9g/L; acidity 6.9g/L.
Everything about this wine is tender: the soft pink colour, the subtle nose of berries, the gentle lemon freshness. This is lovely, light and ever so fresh. – Ingrid Groiss
A very attractive, light and crisp dry rosé with so much delicate cherry fruit and spot-on balance. So clean and subtle at the finish you’ve gotta go on! From organically grown grapes. Drink now. Screw cap.
90 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com