2016 Salomon Undhof Gruner Veltliner Weiden 750 ml

Blood is thicker than Grüner

Bert Salomon is a prince among men. Standing about 6 foot 3 with a smile as wide as the Danube, he has taken his 227-year-old family estate, Salomon Undhof, to heights that his ancestors couldn’t have imagined. Salomon Undhof’s riverwater-pure Grüner Veltliners and Rieslings from the top sites in the Kremstal earned its lasting reputation as the finest estate in the Niederösterreich. But today, thanks to Bert’s relentless drive to improve and commitment to excellence, the wines at Salomon have never been better.

Bert wasn’t supposed to run his family business. That job went to his older brother, Erich. Bert was happy to travel the world, pursuing the sales and marketing side of the industry. In the early 1980s, he worked out of New York for the Bronfman-owned Seagram Chateau & Estate Wine Company, the firm that introduced Americans to Austrian wine as the first importers of Salomon Undhof. He spent time in Australia, ultimately forging enough ties to found a winery in the Adelaide Hills. Bert eventually settled back down in Vienna in the late 1990s, taking the lead at the Austrian Wine Marketing Board.

In early 2002, Bert resigned from his prominent marketing position — his family needed him. He took over for his older brother, Erich, who had fallen ill and couldn’t continue to run the family business by himself. Erich died in 2007. Bert, his heart heavy, vowed to continue the tradition of excellence he watched his father and brother uphold, taking over all aspects of farming, vinification, and sales for Salomon Undhof.

First, Bert transitioned the entire 74-acre estate to organic farming practices. He then started experimenting with fermentation and vinification methods, all to improve an already legendary estate. After Bert’s first full vintage, there was a marked changed in the clarity and precision of the wines. Soon, Salomon Undhof’s wines were landing year after year on Top 100 lists, including multiple placements on Wine and Spirits Magazine’s list of 100 Top Wineries.

Jancis Robinson has called Bert’s wines “the best value of the everyday Grüners,” and she called Austria’s 2016 vintage “outstanding.” In Krems, yields were down nearly 20% due to catastrophic late frosts in April. Luckily, the latter half of the year was pitch-perfect, with warm days and a long, dry growing season. Harvest was a full two weeks later than 2015. Last month, we tasted everything Salomon Undhof bottled in 2016, and we can report that it’s a vintage with perfect maturity with gorgeous aromatics and depth of fruit.

The 2016 Salomon Grüner Veltliner “Wieden” is drawn from the vineyard that surrounds the family estate, close to the banks of the Danube on top of sandy loess soils. Pale, straw-green color with pure aromas of honeydew melon, lime leaf, red apple, and white pepper. The palate is plump and livened by grapefruit, lime, and fresh herbs. The finish is clean and saline with cool breeze freshness. Drink now to 2027.

The 227-year-old Salomon Undhof has done nothing but improve upon an already proud legacy since Bert Salomon took over all aspects of the winery. Today we’re offering one of his stunning single-vineyard Grüner Veltliners from the outstanding 2016 vintage. Just 100 cases have made it stateside. $21.99 for the best price in the USA. Today only on WineAccess