Ried Käferberg Grüner Veltliner 1.ÖTW DAC 2023

The Ried Käferberg Grüner Veltliner 1.ÖTW DAC 2023 from Loimer is a dense white wine from the Kamptal that already shows the first signs of maturity. The nose needs air: first ripe apple and apple compote, then apricot, and finally, with oxygen, honey, wild flowers and candied ginger. Beneath this lies a mineral quality that gives the whole its depth.

The Ried Käferberg lies between 310 and 345 metres above sea level, in a warm, wind-sheltered spot facing south and south-east. Within a small area, ancient crystalline rocks such as amphibolite, gneiss and mica schist alternate with much younger clay marls, sands and occasional gravels deposited by the Paratethys Sea some 16 million years ago. The vines grow on weathered primary rock.

Grüner Veltliner, selectively hand-harvested in 20-kilo crates on 23 September and on 12 and 13 October 2023. Whole-cluster pressing, up to 24 hours on the skins, spontaneous fermentation in 1,250- and 2,500-litre oak casks over four weeks at no more than 24 degrees. This was followed by eleven months on full lees without sulphur in wood, and a further nine months on fine lees in stainless steel with a little sulphur. Bottled in June 2025, unfiltered.

Plenty of fruit, with a delicate sweetness that comes from the fruit itself rather than residual sugar: the wine is dry, 12.5% vol. The texture is creamy, the acidity fine, with spicy nuances running through it. A complex wine that calls for hearty dishes, has good ageing potential, and opens up more when decanted.

Fred Loimer took over the winery in Langenlois in 1998 and switched to biodynamic farming in 2006; a year later he co-founded respekt-BIODYN, whose requirements cover both the vineyard and the cellar. The Käferberg ranks among the First Growths (1.ÖTW).