Gelber Muskateller – Ried Steinriegl from Wohlmuth Winery
The Wohlmuth Gelber Muskateller Ried Steinriegl 2023 is an elegant, fragrant, dry white wine from the Steinriegl vineyard in Styria, Austria. Its vines grow on incredibly steep vineyard slopes, planted in slate soils. Under the influence of the Illyrian climate, which brings warm winds from the Mediterranean and cool winds from the northern Alps to Kitzeck in Southern Styria, and with much manual labor on the steep slopes, which requires an admirable connection to home, white wines with an unmistakable, complex fruit profile are produced.
The Gelber Muskateller Steinriegl from Wohlmuth Winery is a wonderfully floral, enormously juicy representative of its grape variety. On the nose and palate, it displays its aromatic spectrum of floral notes of elderflower and orange blossom, some yellow rose, yellow tropical fruit, pineapple, and lime, delicately hinting at mango, some lychee honey, nutmeg, fine extract sweetness, and always accompanied by a fine slate spice, a wonderfully cool minerality, finesse, and precision. A great Muskateller with aging potential and an intricate acid structure. This showcases the brilliant interplay of grape variety, soil, location, and winemaking craftsmanship, which has a 200-year-old tradition at the Wohlmuth's.
Gelber Muskateller – from the Steinriegl vineyard
The Lage, or as the Austrians say, the Riede Steinriegl, is one of the best vineyards in Southern Styria, mentioned in documents for centuries. It is a First STK Lage Südsteiermark DAC.
The vineyard is located at an altitude of 460-510m above sea level and is impressively steep with a 65% incline. The soils consist of Paleozoic slate. The upper part of the Ried Steinriegl faces south, while the lower part faces south-southwest. With the 2018 vintage, this special site, which produces complex wines with pronounced minerality, was classified as Erste STK Lage Südsteiermark DAC.
Due to its special orientation, altitude, and openness to the nearby Alps, this vineyard experiences particularly rapid and strong cooling in the evening, leading to an intense development of aromas. The extremely sparse, red, phyllitic slate soil gives the wines their very unique spicy character.
The grapes for this Wohlmuth Muskateller are harvested very late through selective hand-picking. A short maceration period and a very slow and gentle pressing, as well as temperature-controlled fermentation at approximately 20°C in stainless steel tanks, preserve fragrance and fruit. Subsequent bâtonnage and 11 months of aging on fine lees in large used wooden barrels ensure a full mouthfeel and a delicate creaminess.
The appealing modern label is designed each year by a different young artist. The label for the 2023 vintage features an exciting work by the German artist Torben Giehler.
a Rieden wine and its values
- Origin Austria
- Growing region Southern Styria
- Vineyard Ried Steinriegl
- Grape variety Gelber Muskateller
- vegan
- sustainably certified
- 12.0 % vol. Alcohol
- 6.6 g/l acidity
- 1.1 g/l residual sugar