Sohm & Kracher Gruner Veltliner 'Alte Reben' 2023

100% Grüner Veltliner from old vines in the Pulkau Valley in the Weinviertel, northern Austria. Whole-bunch pressed and wild-yeast fermented, 80% in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks and 20% in large seasoned oak casks. Matured on fine lees in large seasoned oak casks for 20 months, followed by a further 5 months maturation in stainless steel tanks.

A step up in texture and flavor, this wine is a bit phenolic, expressing more weight on the palate and structure similar to that of a Chardonnay. It boasts quince and yellow apple. It is beany with lentils and white pepper and is long on the finish.

‘This sophisticated gruner veltliner is floral, herbal and delicately peppery, with a wonderfully elegant palate where the power and concentration are deftly underplayed. Very long, wet-stone finish with just a hint of fresh butter. Drink or hold.’ 94 points, James Suckling.com, June 2024

• Orientation: South, southeast

• Soil: Gravel, limestone

• Farming Practice: Organic

• Vinification: 80% stainless steel, 20% neutral barrel

• Elevage: 20 months neutral barrel, 5 months stainless

• Alcohol: 13%

• Acidity: 6.3 g/L

What do you get when a world champion sommelier meets up with a world famous winemaker? The answer: a range of exciting food-friendly wines, of moderate alcohol and minerality, made from the local indigenous variety, grown in an emerging, under-appreciated area and now featuring on some of the best wine lists in the world.

Aldo Sohm grew up in Austria’s Tyrol and caught the wine bug as a teen-ager. By his early twenties he had won Best Sommelier in Austria in 2002, a feat he repeated in 2003, 2004 and 2006. He had moved to New York in 2004 and it was here that he first met Gerhard Kracher who was then looking after the US market for his father, the legendary Alois Kracher.

In 2007 Aldo won the title of Best Sommelier in America in 2007 and that landed him the dream job at Michelin 3-star, Le Bernadin in New York City. He went on to win Best Sommelier in the World in 2008 and today still works at Le Bernadin, as well has running his own Aldo Sohm Wine Bar since 2014 just a couple of doors away.

Having become close friends, it was over lunch in Queens in 2008 that Gerhard and Aldo came up with the idea to make a wine together. They both had a soft spot for Grüner Veltliner and both felt that the Austrian region of the Weinviertel was grossly under-estimated. And it was here where they ultimately found their ideal vineyard, with venerable old vines growing on the gravel, sand and marly siltstone of the Pulkau Valley. They released their first wine from the 2009 vintage to great critical acclaim and that acclaim has only grown since.