Austrian Wines by Soil Type

Austria makes some of the most precise wines in the world, and there is nothing like tasting single vineyard wines to understand the soil's impact on the grape variety. That's true even when the wines are field blends, like the Gemischter Satz.

Whites
92
Hirsch 2016 Grüner Veltliner Ried Lamm 1ÖTW Kamptal 13%
Soil Type: Loess & Sandstone
Forward and resolutely spicy, this wine's aromatics show inklings of chick pea, sencha green tea and hearty vegetable stock. The medium body is ecstatically energetic yet still impressively poised and polished. The palate bursts with lemon-led citrus refreshment. A whisper of zesty pithiness closes in on the linering, minerally finish. Delightful now, this will reward those willing to wait.
Drink: 2020-28 

91
Gross 2017 Sauvignon Blanc Ried Sulz 1STK Südsteiermark 13.5%
Soil Type: Marl Opok & Conglomerate
Delightfully vivacious in aromas, this generous nose offers up rosehips, guava and orange zest. The concentrated flavors are equally expressive on the medium-bodied, rounded palate. The balancing acidity is elegantly integrated, and there is a smooth, glossy feeling to the overall wine. No hint of tannin in sight! The smoky minerality and salty, medium finish with layered complexity nod to the wine's high quality. However, this is so exuberant now that it seems a shame to wait much longer, even if the wine will hold.
Drink: 2020-24 

90
Jutta Ambrositsch 2018 Gemischter Satz Siveringer Ringelspiel Österreich 11.5%
Soil Type: Marl
Pale yellow with amber reflections, a haze of unfiltered sediment and generous spritz, this looks like an intriguing wine. The aromas center on tangerine and navel orange with hints of hazelnut. Though light-bodied, the palate feels broad and intense. Lightly tingly tannins, vivid acidity and a dry finish give this wine good refreshment. This works best at the table as this is a very savory-flavored wine with little fruit inflection.
Drink: 2020-22

Red
88
Jalits 2016 Blaufränkisch Ried Szapary Eisenberg DAC 13.5%
Soil Type: Greenschist
Plum-colored, this earthy wine's layers of flavors include beets and North African spices. The nose is resolutely not fruit-driven, but the palate does offer some some dried plums and forest berry flavors. The tannins are a bit rugged and broad but not at all drying. A bristling stream of acidity gives the palate a bracing backbone of freshness. Somewhat disjointed, this may be because the wine was decanted then preserved under argon almost a week prior to tasting. The overall freshness is a bit lacking.*
Drink: 2020-23