Wohlmuth Ried Edelschuh – Sauvignon Blanc from the Best Styrian Site
The Wohlmuth Ried Edelschuh Sauvignon Blanc 2022 is a remarkable, dry white wine from the "Lage", or as the Austrians say "Riede", Edelschuh in Styria, Austria.
The Sauvignon Blanc Edelschuh from the Wohlmuth Winery is an opulent representative of its grape variety. On the palate, it displays ripe aromas of yellow tropical fruits, gooseberry, nuances of cassis, a hint of blossom honey, and grapefruit zest. A wine with a medium body, subtle extract sweetness, and a finely nuanced acidity. The striking slate spice, a wonderfully cool minerality, finesse, and precision, is always present. The Wohlmuth Sauvignon Blanc Edelschuh is a wine with a unique, unmistakable character; it is immensely dense and fine-meshed, elegant and mineral, and possesses a great arc of tension as well as excellent length. Here, the ingenious interplay of grape variety, soil, location, and winemaking craftsmanship, which has a 200-year-old tradition at Wohlmuth's, is shown in its full glory. With a little air in a large glass, the Sauvignon Blanc increasingly opens up and reveals its great aging potential.
Sauvignon Blanc – from the Edelschuh site
The Sauvignon Blanc vines grow on extremely steep vineyard slopes planted on 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 attachment to home, white wines with an unmistakable, complex fruit expression are created.
The Lage or Riede Edelschuh is one of the best sites in Southern Styria; as early as 1322, this noble site was known as such. The vineyard is located at 460-530m above sea level and is extremely steep with a 73-90% gradient. The soils consist of Paleozoic, red and blue-black, quartzite-rich slate. The vines are between 30-50 years old. Wines with a very delicate acid structure and high extract density are produced from this warm site. The historic site is so steep that it can only be cultivated by hand, sometimes only with the help of a winch. At the upper edge of the barren Riede Edelschuh, which is completely south-facing, lies a visible slate wall. With the 2018 vintage, this special site, which produces complex wines of pronounced minerality and elegance, was classified as the first STK (Styrian Classic).
The grapes for this Wohlmuth Sauvignon Blanc Edelschuh are harvested very late with selective hand-picking. A short maceration time and a very slow and gentle pressing, as well as spontaneous fermentation in 500l used wooden barrels, preserve fragrance and fruit. The subsequent maturation on the fine lees for more than 12 months ensures a full mouthfeel and a delicate creaminess.
The 2022 vintage is accompanied by a painting by Laura Stadtegger, who sees the characteristic of her images in the movement between the real and imaginary world. Fascinated by myths and archetypes, she sees her art as messages that concern people worldwide. The artist, born in Graz in 1984, studied applied art at the University of Vienna, with a year abroad at the School of Visual Arts in New York. She then lived in Amsterdam for a while before moving her studio to Munich in 2011.
A single-vineyard wine and its characteristics
- Origin Wine from Austria
- Growing region Southern Styria
- Single vineyard wine Ried Edelschuh
- Grape variety Sauvignon Blanc
- Vegan
- Sustainably certified
- 13.0 % vol. alcohol
- 6.9 g/l acidity
- 1.1 g/l residual sugar