Brundlmayer Gruner Veltliner Kammerner Lamm 2019

The intensely yellow colored 2019 Ried Lamm 1ÖTW Kamptal Grüner Veltliner is deep, refined and pure on the very complex and intense nose that reveals a potpourri of aromas, including dried fruits, honey bread and flint stones. Pure, round, intense and salty on the palate, this a rich and powerful, tight and grippy Lamm that needs lots of time to start singing. Despite several tries in summer and autumn this year, I can't really articulate the true character of the 2019, which is quite ripe on the one hand but without the mineral, tension and vitality of the Käferberg or even the Langenloiser Alte Reben, yet there are some fights in the depth that probably need an outcome for a better performance. So for now, the finish is tight and almost a bit astringent and still doesn't sing or, at least, indicate anything but reasonable hope for a better future. Since the Lamm has never disappointed me (and is definitely the most complex of the GVs from this domaine), I am full of respect but have to conclude that this Lamm seems to be in a phase that doesn't show the best virtues of the 2019 yet. 13% alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted between June and October 2021.

Intensly herbal, but also subtle with very interesting smoky and sweet vegetal (think snow pea and chickpea) notes. This is a powerful but graceful wine that has great, citrusy and mineral freshness running through it. Stunning finish that leaves no doubt. Great aging potential. Drink or hold.

Ried Lamm sits at the far eastern edge of the Heiligenstein vineyard, a warm spot with deep soils of chalky clay and loess. In 2018, the Bründlmayers harvested their parcel at the end of October, when the grapes were very ripe yet still free of botrytis; they then fermented the juice in 300-liter casks (mostly Austrian oak, with some new acacia barrels), leaving it on the fine lees until the following summer. Right now, the oak is the first thing that reads in the wine, a rich, deep scent of freshly sawed wood. But give it a few hours open, and the oak subsides, revealing a delicious mix of smoky lees, browned butter and lemon supported by a firm mineral base. It’s a huge wine, Burgundian in its leesy, wood-driven character, grüner in its soil-driven texture and flavors, and absolutely delicious when taken all together.

Smoky nuttiness on the nose comes with just a glint of reduction. The palate then sweeps in with the juicy ripe fruit of redcheeked Mirabelle plums on a mellow palate that is given structure backbone by oak. This is full-on in every respect, a big, bold, fruity but structured mouthful that shimmers with peppery spice.