Sauvignon Blanc Kitzeck-Sausal – by Wohlmuth from Southern Styria
The 2022 Wohlmuth Sauvignon Blanc Kitzeck-Sausal is a wonderfully dry white wine from Styria, Austria. This Sauvignon Blanc from the Wohlmuth winery is a spicy, smoky, complex wine with multi-layered aromatics and a strong expression of terroir. On the palate, it reveals a spectrum of aromas including ripe yellow tropical fruit like passion fruit and cape gooseberries, as well as candied orange zest. A vegetal note is also present, along with sweet red bell pepper, all underscored by a fine slate spice, wonderfully cool minerality, finesse, and precision. It showcases the brilliant interplay between grape variety, soil, steep-slope viticulture, and the dedicated craftsmanship that has been a 200-year tradition at the Wohlmuth estate.
Wohlmuth – Winemaking
The Sauvignon Blanc vines grow on exceptionally steep vineyard slopes planted on phyllitic slate soils, which are reddish and black in color. This slate is thin-leaved and partly more compact, with inclusions of quartz, sericite, and potassium feldspar. Influenced by the Illyrian climate—which brings warm winds from the Mediterranean and cool breezes from the Alps to the north down to Kitzeck in Southern Styria—and through extensive manual labor on the steep slopes that requires admirable devotion to the land, this dry white wine is produced with an unmistakable, complex fruit profile.
All grapes are harvested very late and selectively by hand. Since the vineyards are located around the winery, no long transport routes are necessary. Following a 8-16 hour period of maceration on the skins, the grapes are pressed gently and slowly. Spontaneous fermentation takes place in large, used wooden barrels, as does the 7-month maturation on the fine lees.
Even though the Sauvignon Blanc grape variety does not have a long tradition in Styria, it has found a place there that provides optimal conditions, producing wines of international standing. The variety originated from a cross between Traminer and Chenin Blanc and comes originally from the Loire Valley. It is characterized by small, dense clusters. Its vigorous growth requires meticulous canopy management, as its aroma compounds—methoxypyrazines and mercaptans—are light-sensitive. Its characteristic bouquet ranges from grassy, green-fruited, and bell pepper notes in less than fully ripe grapes to an expressive variety of aromas such as elderflower, gooseberries, cassis, and tropical fruits like passion fruit in fully ripened grapes. Great top-tier wines with magnificent potential for development are produced in Styria, ranking among the best worldwide.
The Sauvignon Blanc Kitzeck-Sausal is a classic local wine (*Ortswein*) made exclusively from grapes grown around Kitzeck in Southern Styria. The Kitzeck-Sausal appellation is a geological rarity within Southern Styria, as the soils are significantly older than in the rest of the region, having formed over 400 million years ago along with the Central Alps. The landscape is consequently more rugged, which is evident not only in the impressively steep, direct-cultivated vineyards around the village of Kitzeck but also in the numerous terraced layouts. The elevation difference from the highest point of the hills to the valley floor is usually over 200 meters, which is also reflected in the extreme steepness of the vineyard sites (*Rieden*). The vineyards are located mostly at altitudes between 380 and 650 meters, contributing to excellent vine ventilation.
The 2022 vintage is accompanied by an image by Laura Stadtegger, who perceives the character of her work as moving between real and imaginary worlds. Fascinated by myths and archetypes, she sees her art as messages that resonate with people globally. Originally from Graz and born in 1984, the artist completed her studies in applied arts at the University of Vienna, with a year abroad at the School of Visual Arts in New York. She subsequently lived in Amsterdam for a time before moving her studio to Munich in 2011. Her works can be admired in exhibitions, such as in London in 2023.
Sauvignon Blanc Kitzeck-Sausal – a wine and its values
- Origin: Austria
- Region: Southern Styria
- Local wine (*Ortswein*): Kitzeck-Sausal
- Grape variety: Sauvignon Blanc
- vegan
- 12.5% ABV
- 6.8 g/l acidity
- 2.8 g/l residual sugar