BRÜNDLMAYER | GRÜNER VELTLINER “TERRASSEN” 2015
(Kamptal, Austria) $23 (750ml)
This is what I plan to open on the first torrid night of summer. I’m going to imagine that the coolness of Austria has crept like fog into the hot heart of the Napa Valley. Brundlmayer (one of Austria’s top producers) is known for making wines of restraint and purity. In particular, this gruner veltliner (from terraced hills–terrassen) always reminds me of the light minerally freshness of a cold mountain stream. The hint of white pepper (a signature of gruner) is like a sensory surprise at the end. (12.5% abv)
91 points KM
Available at K&L Wines
What do the following numbers have in common: 19, 29, 33, 74?
- A. They were all legendary years in the 20th century when vintage Port was made
- B. They were the capacities, in milliliters, of original wine bottles from the 18th century
- C. They are the leading cabernet clones used in the First and Second Growth vineyards of Bordeaux
- D. They are the route or highway numbers associated with some of the world’s famous wine regions
Scroll down for the answer!
“I defy you to go down to San Francisco and find anyone today who wants to get hot and sticky picking grapes for $30 an hour.”
—Ren Harris, owner of Paradigm winery in the Napa Valley, talking about California’s impending labor crisis as the shortage of grape pickers worsens
GETTING DELICIOUSLY FIERCE
In the Basque country of northern Spain, tapas bars serve a crisp, resiny white wine called txakoli, which is easier to pronounce than it looks (it’s: shah-ko-LEE). The wine is made from white hondarrabi zuri grapes grown along the Basque coast near the famous Spanish city of San Sebastián, in the Denominación de Origen (official Spanish wine region) of Chacolí de Guetaria. Txakoli, which is finding its way onto hip wine lists, is distinguished by fiercely high acidity, dramatic minerality and pleasing apple and stone fruit flavors. It’s the perfect adventurous wine for summer parties and seafood on the grill.
FLAT
Refers to wines that taste dull and uninteresting. Often this is because the wine lacks acidity. In relation to sparkling wines, flat refers to a wine that has lost its effervescence.
SOMETIMES A GREAT NOTION—THE WINES OF CHAPPELLET
I think about wine tastings the way I think about men. Some are pleasant. Some take work. Some you’ll never forget. Earlier this year, a 50th anniversary tasting of the wines of Chappellet—going back to the legendary 1969— was more than an experience I’ll never forget…Continue Reading
D.They are the route or highway numbers associated with some of the world’s famous wine regions. B19 (aka Barossa Valley Way) is the main road linking most of the major towns of the Barossa Valley in South Australia. The highway running north to south through the Napa Valley in California is 29. A33 is a key highway connecting the two wine regions Asti and Alba in the Langhe area of Piedmont. And the wine road N74 (also called the Route des Grands Crus) is the main route in Burgundy’s Côte d’Or.
