Old Kranachberg Sauvignon Blanc – 2022

In the cellar of the Sattlerhof, Alter Kranachberg Sauvignon Blanc matures on fine lees

Alter Kranachberg Sauvignon Blanc from the Sattlerhof winery is the single-vineyard wine from the Große STK Ried, which rests on the fine lees for eighteen months after a short period of skin contact. The 2022 vintage is rounder than its predecessors, with yellow tropical fruit, floral honey, and ripe gooseberry.

Alter Kranachberg Sauvignon Blanc is the youngest of the three vintages we carry from the old core of the Kranachberg. While the 2021 appears taut and saline, this one focuses on fullness because the acidity is lower, giving the fruit more space. In the Sattler family cellar, the must spent only a short time on the skins, which keeps the wine bright and agile.

Yellow tropical fruit, floral honey, and ripe gooseberry

Medium golden yellow with silver reflections in the glass, and the very first pour brings delicate yellow tropical fruit. This is joined by a hint of floral honey and orange zest, which give the opening something warm.

Underneath lie ripe gooseberries and white berry fruit, along with an inviting herbal spice. It draws the wine away from pure fruit and gives it the direction it follows later. It presents itself as powerful and juicy, with white peach and a taut, fine structure that holds everything together.

The finish remains lemony and salty, and because this vintage is broader than the 2021, it already feels accessible. It sacrifices none of its length; it just lingers more calmly in the aftertaste.

Sushi, cured char, and oven-roasted fennel

Raw fish handles this type of power well, so sushi or a cured char with dill are perfect. Crustaceans, a fennel salad with olive oil, or baked fennel, which develops its sweetness only in the oven, also pair well.

In the restaurant run by Hannes Sattler, such bottles are served with dishes that contain both spice and acidity. Asparagus with hollandaise is a prime example, as is Asian-spiced vegetable stir-fry with ginger and lime. A matured goat cheese from the surrounding Styrian region also handles this spice well.

It will hold its prime form until 2036 and beyond, which is the longest span among the three vintages. You will find less fruit and more spice with every passing year, which has always been characteristic of this vineyard.

Short skin contact and long rest in the cellar

The must stayed on the skins for only a few hours—a brief contact that leaves tannins out. For the 2019, this step lasted many times longer, which made that wine denser and darker.

Fermented in steel tanks, the wine then rested on the fine lees for 18 months without being disturbed. This long rest gives it a texture that one would otherwise attribute to wood. No barrels were involved, even though the smoky note of the vineyard might lead one to suspect exactly the opposite.

Up at 450 meters above sea level, the hilltop slopes 80 percent to the south, and whatever grows there comes to the cellar on foot. The Sattlerhof winery's range includes other white wines and wines from Austria. The Kranachberg 2019 shows where this wine is still headed as the years go by.

Alter Kranachberg Sauvignon Blanc – a wine and its values

• Origin: Wine from Austria
• Region: Südsteiermark DAC
• Quality level: Riedenwein, Große STK Ried
• Vineyard: Ried Alter Kranachberg
• Grape variety: Sauvignon Blanc
• 13.5% vol. alcohol
• 5.6 g/l acidity
• 1.1 g/l residual sugar
• Vinification: Steel tank
• Prime drinking window: until 2036
• Falstaff Wineguide: 97 points
• Gault Millau: 19 out of 20 points
• Contains sulfites
• Vegan
• Biodynamic certified according to Lacon

Organic control body AT-BIO-402 – Austrian Agriculture