2020 Muller Gruner Vetliner, Niederoesterreich, Austria (750ml)
A Monthly Wine Club Selection
This wine has a pale straw color with a green tint. It opens up with delicate aromas of green apple, melon and spice. The palate shows flavors of Asian Pear, white flowers and fresh oranges. It has a creamier texture then expected from the nose, and the finish is bright, crisp and fresh with a touch of spritz.
Müller Family winery is located in the southern part of the Kremstal wine region in the picturesque village of Krustetten. The estate was first mentioned in the archive of nearby Göttweig Abbey as early as 1270 A.D. as a Lesehof, which translated means “wine press house,” and has been run as a family business by the Müller family since 1936 when grandfather Leopold Müller acquired a small vineyard in Krustetten and made the first Müller wine. Nowadays, the 4th generation of Müllers, Stefan and Leopold, are managing the estate, which now encompasses 120 hectares of prime vineyards. Stefan is the vineyard manager and Leopold is the winemaker and sales manager. The Müller philosophy is simply to produce wine in harmony with nature. The basis of this philosophy begins in the sustainable cultivation of the vineyards. This includes long-term greening and slope maintenance to achieve a steady growth of beneficial organisms and increased soil recovery.
They have a cellar that is built 50% in the hillside on three floors. This allows them to use gravity flow to move the wine around the cellar, and naturally regulate the temperature of the wine while it ages in the barrels underground. Müller also uses their own spring water for all the work in the wine cellar, incorporating minimalist intervention practices during vinification.
Harvest time for this Grüner Veltliner was in the beginning of October. Only fully ripened grapes were harvested and transported to the cellar. The fermentation was completed in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks.