Incredible herbal freshness in the nose with notes ranging from sage to tarragon plus a hint of ferns and moss after rain. Extraordinary precision and purity on the medium-bodied palate. Great wet stone purity and racy tension at the super-long finish that must be experienced to be believed. It’s miraculous that a gruner veltliner with just 12.5% alcohol can have this concentration and brilliance. From organically grown grapes. Vegan. Drink or hold.
97 points, Stuart Pigott, James Suckling (Oct 2023)
The 2022 Grüner Veltliner Steinertal is from Pichler's coolest site, on terraces with deeper top-soils above weathered gneiss—thus with more water-holding capacity. As the Steinertal is a gully, cool winds sweep down at night and provide diurnal range. The nose is alive with herbal savoriness, referencing chervil, crushed yarrow and fern. The palate carries these herbal notions and adds both ripe pear tones and slight saltiness on a textured, yeasty, distinctly peppery body. This is beautifully clear, clean-cut and svelte, with a lovely boost of pepper on the finish. (Bone-dry)
95 points, Anne Krebiehl, Vinous (Feb 2024)