WTN: What color was that Veltliner??

Our tasting group has been on an extended Pinot Noir binge for some time now, but prior to our tasting last week we had something completely different. This was the '01 Mantlerhof Roter Veltliner, a grape I'd never heard of before. The person who brought it had encountered it in Austria where, she said, they make a late harvest dessert wine from it. Apparently, it's pretty rare even there, and very hard to find in the U.S. Someone at K&L was willing to bring it in for her, though, and thus we had it as our welcome wine at the tasting. This one was not a sweet wine.

Color was a medium gold. Nose was very rich, perhaps a touch moldy, smelled a bit like a Sauternes-style wine. Very rich forward apricot/honey flavor but dry, with a tart acidity that contrasted the rich texture. Fairly long, dry finish.

Not really my cup of tea, but an interesting wine and I'm glad to have had the chance to try it.

According to Jancis Robinson, there's 50 acres of it growing in California at the time she wrote 'Vines Grape & Wines', butin the latest Oxford Companion she says 'was grown in California'.....

According to Jancis Robinson, there's 50 acres of it growing in California at the time she wrote 'Vines Grape & Wines', butin the latest Oxford Companion she says 'was grown in California'.....

Interesting. I wonder how much of it was blended or bottled as a varietal wine.

According to Jancis Robinson, there's 50 acres of it growing in California at the time she wrote 'Vines Grape & Wines', butin the latest Oxford Companion she says 'was grown in California'.....

Interesting. I wonder how much of it was blended or bottled as a varietal wine.

Probably ended up in Charles Shaw Chardonnay.

[David M. Bueker]

According to Jancis Robinson, there's 50 acres of it growing in California at the time she wrote 'Vines Grape & Wines', but in the latest Oxford Companion she says 'was grown in California'.....

Interesting. I wonder how much of it was blended or bottled as a varietal wine.

Essentially zero as a varietal wine. If someone made a home Roter Veltliner there's no way to know, but I am fairly certain there were no commercial releases of varietal RV.

There's other producers of it in Austria though.

Our tasting group has been on an extended Pinot Noir binge for some time now, but prior to our tasting last week we had something completely different. This was the '01 Mantlerhof Roter Veltliner, a grape I'd never heard of before. The person who brought it had encountered it in Austria where, she said, they make a late harvest dessert wine from it. Apparently, it's pretty rare even there, and very hard to find in the U.S. Someone at K&L was willing to bring it in for her, though, and thus we had it as our welcome wine at the tasting. This one was not a sweet wine.

Color was a medium gold. Nose was very rich, perhaps a touch moldy, smelled a bit like a Sauternes-style wine. Very rich forward apricot/honey flavor but dry, with a tart acidity that contrasted the rich texture. Fairly long, dry finish.

Not really my cup of tea, but an interesting wine and I'm glad to have had the chance to try it.

Roter veltliner is a bit rare, but it is not hard to find in Austria, where most of it grows. Sepp Mantler of Mantlerhof is one producer that has been dedicated to this grape for some time, making at least one or two cuvees each year. Most often dry or slightly off-dry. I really like these wines a lot. They have a most peculiar aroma that I find hard to describe, organic, earthy, almost motor-oil. They can age a long time. Nikolaihof also (for a few years only) make a very nice, slimmer version of it that is one of my favorites too. You probably can find roter veltliner as a dessert-wine, but most often I have seen it as dry(ish). A couple of years ago I visited Sepp Mantler and we walked in the vineyard and ate some roter veltliner-grapes. They were surprisingly aromatic and spicey.

Roter veltliner is a bit rare, but it is not hard to find in Austria, where most of it grows. Sepp Mantler of Mantlerhof is one producer that has been dedicated to this grape for some time, making at least one or two cuvees each year. Most often dry or slightly off-dry. I really like these wines a lot. They have a most peculiar aroma that I find hard to describe, organic, earthy, almost motor-oil. They can age a long time. Nikolaihof also (for a few years only) make a very nice, slimmer version of it that is one of my favorites too. You probably can find roter veltliner as a dessert-wine, but most often I have seen it as dry(ish). A couple of years ago I visited Sepp Mantler and we walked in the vineyard and ate some roter veltliner-grapes. They were surprisingly aromatic and spicey.

Thanks for the info, Arnt. The person who brought the wine to the tasting had only been in Austria for a vacation, so your info sounds more complete.

I like the motor oil descriptor. I could see that as having applied to the one we drank. Given the intensity of flavor and the acidity, I could also see how they'd age for a very long time.

Birgit Eichinger makes a good Roter Veltliner that I once came across in Andrew Chapman's wine shop (highly recommended, btw!) near Oxford. It was some time ago, but I remember it as a rather thick, oily wine, almost perfumed, dry. Definitely an interesting experience.
Cheers, Anders

Birgit Eichinger makes a good Roter Veltliner that I once came across in Andrew Chapman's wine shop (highly recommended, btw!) near Oxford. It was some time ago, but I remember it as a rather thick, oily wine, almost perfumed, dry. Definitely an interesting experience.
Cheers, Anders

Here's my note on Birgits:

Birgit Eichinger Roter Veltliner Wechselberg 2006

The Fruit is all lime, lemon, orange zest. There is a spiciness too -nutmeg, lavender and pumice, but not in a heady Gewurztraminer way –more like Muscat, yet even more subtle still. She has cold, steely mineral and awesome chill-inducing acidity. It seems that many producers have a hard time reaching optimal ripeness and styles too lean or outright gaudy are more often the norm (in my experience.) This is all beauty and grace.
13% alc. $20