Somms and Austrian wine fans get EXCITED when they see our selections. That joy is what we live for.
It’s a shocking statement to point out that Austrian winemakers produce some of the greatest wines made anywhere in the world. They count among their ranks such luminaries as FX Pichler, Gobelsburg, and Nikolaihof. But despite the love of diehard fans, the wines don’t always get the attention they deserve. If these wines came from France, those biodynamic, single-vineyard, Grand Cru, food-friendly, and ridiculously underpriced gems from thousand-year-old wineries would they be three times as expensive. These are the source of the best value high end whites in the world.
Alzinger
Based in the village of Unterloiben, the Alzinger house farms some of the steepest Wachau vineyards in Austria. If you traded the granite for slate, you’d think you were in a Mosel village like the Saar or Terrassenmosel. Converging with the relatively high elevation of the site, Alzinger creates some of the most powerful expressions of Riesling in the country. Leo Alzinger took over his family’s estate after apprenticing in Marlborough, New Zealand and the Pfalz, Germany where he crafted his house style. This technical knowledge is evident in his wines, which he vinifies whole cluster with a touch of skin contact and extended lees aging.
It’s a shocking statement to point out that Austrian winemakers produce some of the greatest wines made anywhere in the world. They count among their ranks such luminaries as FX Pichler, Gobelsburg, and Nikolaihof. But despite the love of diehard fans, the wines don’t always get the attention they deserve. If these wines came from France, those biodynamic, single-vineyard, Grand Cru, food-friendly, and ridiculously underpriced gems from thousand-year-old wineries would they be three times as expensive. These are the source of the best value high end whites in the world.
Alzinger
Based in the village of Unterloiben, the Alzinger house farms some of the steepest Wachau vineyards in Austria. If you traded the granite for slate, you’d think you were in a Mosel village like the Saar or Terrassenmosel. Converging with the relatively high elevation of the site, Alzinger creates some of the most powerful expressions of Riesling in the country. Leo Alzinger took over his family’s estate after apprenticing in Marlborough, New Zealand and the Pfalz, Germany where he crafted his house style. This technical knowledge is evident in his wines, which he vinifies whole cluster with a touch of skin contact and extended lees aging.
The Alzinger Family
Bründlmayer
The Kamptal region in Austrian is the slightly less famous brother to the Wachau, but their best wines are of an equivalent quality and nuance. The wines from the likes of Bründlmayer end up being the best deals across the Old World (the bottlings from the Heiligenstein vineyard, likely the Kamptal’s most famous, are in a class by themselves.). Bründlmayer’s wines are somewhere in the middle between the fruit-forward style of Hirsch and the heft and contemplative nature of Gobelsburg. These are probably the most subtle when young, but blossom with age. The wines reward attention and aging in spectacular ways.
Willi Bründlmayer
In a world where the market (outside of sommeliers) realized how good these were, we’d be sold out. The reality is that they’re somehow on our shelves, so we’ll nudge you their way with our three-day sale.
5% off any 6-11 in-stock bottles of Bründlmayer or Alzinger
10% off any 12 or more in-stock bottles of Bründlmayer or Alzinger
Discount will not display online or in your cart,
We will adjust your invoice before processing your charge.
Sale ends Wednesday, December 4th at 9 am Pacific.
10% off any 12 or more in-stock bottles of Bründlmayer or Alzinger
Discount will not display online or in your cart,
We will adjust your invoice before processing your charge.
Sale ends Wednesday, December 4th at 9 am Pacific.
We have over 10 options from Bründlmayer & Alzinger on sale now, including:
Weingut Bründlmayer Ried Steinmassl Chardonnay 1ÖTW, Kamptal, Kamptal 2021 750ml Displayed Price: $69, that’s $62.10 at 10% off and $58.65 at 15% off, 12 bottles in stock now
Falstaff 95 points “Light golden yellow, silver reflections. Fine wood spice, a touch of caramel, blossom honey and orange peel, vanilla echo as well as some papaya and spicy nuances. Juicy, elegant, salty, white tropical fruit, tobacco finish, mineral echo, very good persistency, reductive finish, will benefit from bottle age.”
Weingut Bründlmayer Ried Käferberg Gruner Veltliner, Kamptal DAC 2021 750ml Displayed Price: $79, that’s $71.10 at 10% off and $67.15 at 15% off, 8 bottles in stock now
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 96 points “What a lovely nose of apricots, lemons, nutmeg, orange zest and white chocolate. It’s creamy and medium- to full-bodied, with zesty acidity cutting through. Fantastic balance, length and intensity. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.”
Anne Krebiehl MW-Vinous 94 points “The 2021 Grüner Veltliner Ried Käferberg is from an east-facing site at 330 meters of elevation on calcareous gravels with a loess cover, picked from vines that are around 35 years old. It was made in large used barrel and stayed on gross lees until the following September, then for another year in stainless steel, finally bottled in spring 2023. The nose has just a touch of fir honey, verging into a slight waxiness, with a notion of hazelnut and smoke. The palate is immediately fresh, full, contoured and generous but absolutely outlined by freshness—poised and serene. On the mid-palate, ripe lemon brightness teases out zestiness and yeasty savoriness, with gentle after-tones of mossy freshness and expansive resonance where that lovely smoky flavor returns. (Bone-dry).”
Weingut Bründlmayer Ried Steinmassl Riesling 1ÖTW, Kamptal 2019 750ml Displayed Price: $37, that’s $33.30 at 10% off and $31.45 at 15% off, 22 bottles in stock now
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 95 points “At once intense and mellow, which is a weird thing to write, but this is a special wine. Delicate white-fruit aromas. Excellent structure and racy minerality make this really exciting. Very long, crystalline finish that promises a very long life. Drink or hold.”
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 94+ points “The 2019 Ried Steinmassel 1ÖTW Kamptal Riesling opens clear, intense and snappy on the nose, quite open and with floral fruit aromas but also a very ripe and dried raisin aroma intermingled with crystalline (para-gneiss and amphibolite) and black pepper notes. Dense and juicy on the palate, this is a concentrated, firmly structured, crystalline, very elegant and tensioned Riesling with a dried stone fruit aroma and very firm phenolics. A wine to age for at least 5-6 years. There are crunchy tannins on the finish that might come from the reduction rather than the pressing, which was whole clusters and pressed at 6 p.m. when they started to fill at 11 a.m. Picked on October 17th. 12.5% alcohol. Tasted at Schloss Gobelsburg in June 2021.”
Weingut Bründlmayer Ried Steinmassl Riesling 1ÖTW, Kamptal 2021 750ml Displayed Price: $37, that’s $33.30 at 10% off and $31.45 at 15% off, 14 bottles in stock now
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 94 points “Eye-poppingly fresh nose of ferns and savory notes with underlying, lemony fruit. Very tightly wound and energetic, this is a radically racy dry riesling for Austria. Very long, whiplash finish that will either turn you off or drive you wild, like us. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.”
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 93+ points “From a south-southeast-facing cru on Gföhler gneiss soils and ranging from 240 to 340 meters in altitude, the 2021 Riesling Ried Steinmassl 1ÖTW was picked on October 18 and 19, then macerated and fermented in stainless steel tanks. The wine shows a clear and intense, pure and elegant nose with ripe and elegant fruit aromas intertwined with spicy and saline notes. Crystalline and savory on the palate, this is a medium-bodied yet supple and tightly structured Steinmassl with clear, defined fruit and fine tannins intermingled with the saline acidity. Very long and complex finish. It’s still on its way but very promising. 12.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted in October 2022.”
Weingut Bründlmayer Ried Zöbinger Heiligenstein Riesling 1ÖTW, Kamptal 2015 750ml Displayed Price: $99, that’s $89.10 at 10% off and $84.15 at 15% off, 6 bottles in stock nowDavid Schildknecht-Vinous 93 points “Buddleia, lemon blossom and ocean spray rush from the glass, then provide alluring inner-mouth perfume and mineral nuance on a luscious, surprisingly buoyant palate saturated with ripe white peach and lime. This finishes with vibrant tingling of crystalline mineral impingements, an invigoratingly reductive hint of struck flint, seductive liquid floral perfume and saliva-drawing salinity. 2017-2028.”
Weingut Bründlmayer Ried Zöbinger Heiligenstein Riesling 1ÖTW, Kamptal 2016 750ml Displayed Price: $99, $89.10 at 10% off and that’s $84.15 at 15% off, 12 bottles in stock now
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 94 points “Although this is still very young it begins dramatically with an intensely herbal and white fruits nose. Mineral power kicks in on the palate and drives it forward at a brisk clip. A slightly austere finish, but one that’s full of stony character and is very long and bright. Drink now.”
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 92-93 points “Sourced from the younger, 15- to 35-year-old vines, the 2016 Ried Zöbinger Heiligenstein 1ÖTW Riesling has a super clear, deep and flinty bouquet of super precise and well concentrated citrus fruits. Fermented in stainless steel and bottled without any further movements, this is a highly elegant, gorgeously fresh and finessed dry Heiligensten that is pure, mineral and salty as well as intense and long, with lovely marjoram flavors. A great dry Riesling!”
Weingut Bründlmayer Ried Zöbinger Heiligenstein Riesling 1ÖTW, Kamptal 2022 750ml Displayed Price: $59, that’s $53.10 at 10% off and $50.15 at 15% off, 10 bottles in stock now
Anne Krebiehl MW-Vinous 96 points “The 2022 Riesling Heiligenstein is from core parcels of the site, where cool Waldviertel air meets the warm Pannonian influence. This 2022 vintage is the first where the Lyra- and Guyot-trained vines were co-harvested and co-fermented. The nose has a subtle note of cypress, with a touch of smokiness and a suspicion of green citrus peel. The palate adds a riper notion of juicy white peach, but remains framed with tingling citrus. Both elements together result in immense juiciness, showing a svelte exuberance that, for now, skips over stony minerality, which will take time to reveal itself. This is beautiful, taut, long and serene. (Bone-dry).”
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 94 points “Enticingly nose with complex aromas of fresh garden flowers and dried flowers, also dried and fresh pear. Racy and driving with an exciting cassis freshness on the very focused palate. Very stony finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.”
Weingut Leo Alzinger Durnsteiner Riesling Federspiel, Wachau, Austria 2023 750ml $31.90 special, 21 bottles available
James Suckling 92 Points “Clear and linear riesling showing aromas of lime peel, gooseberries, kumquats and wet stones. It,s medium-bodied, lively and energetic, with zippy acidity and a crisp, dry finish. Drink or hold. Screw cap.”
Vinous 92 Points “The 2022 Riesling Dürnsteiner Federspiel was picked from various smaller parcels on the foot of the Loibenberg, including terraces of Loibenberg and Burgstall. Exquisitely pure bergamot notes are fragrant and enticing on the nose. The palate is chiseled, fine and taut, with a slightly riper note of citrus that reminds of Meyer lemon, yet still with the fragrant green citrus frisson. This is a bright, pure wine of exquisite slenderness and citrus fragrance. (Bone-dry)”
Weingut Leo Alzinger Muhlpoint Gruner Veltliner Federspiel, Wachau, Austria 2023 750ml $36 special, 20 bottles available
Vinous 90 Points “The 2023 Grüner Veltliner Mühlpoint Federspiel, a site just underneath Steinertal, in the lower reaches where there’s more loess in the gneiss deposits. It’s gently savory on the nose and delivers yeast and pepper. The palate has a lovely stoniness and a slender aspect, with the pepperiness shimmering on the yeasty mid-palate. Lemon, stone and pepper make for a juicy, light-footed Federspiel. (Bone-dry)”
Weingut Leo Alzinger Durnstein Gruner Veltliner Federspiel, Wachau, Austria 2023 750ml $36 special, 20 bottles available
James Suckling 92 Points “Bright and fruity gruner showing aromas of pineapples, papayas and peaches. Medium-bodied, juicy and vibrant. Excellent length, too, with citrus zest and nutmeg notes at the end. Drink now. Screw cap.”