Hiller Gruner Veltliner Steinzeit Reserve 2019

This, the flagship gruner veltliner in the Hiller portfolio, rocks (quite literally, actually!). Not only are the grapes grown in the cool, rocky, granitic, primeval soils of lower Austria’s Weinviertel region, the finished wine is actually matured in one-of-a-kind barrel made from granite (yes, made from granite, see photo below) for 12 months! Only a single barrel is produced every year!! Hate to be the cellar intern tasked with rolling those around. Hannes told us about the struggle of getting this into the winery - it was so heavy, it tipped the forklift over! The walls of the barrel are 6 inches thick and it ways several tons!

"Steinzeit" translates to “stone age” – perfectly encapsulating the grapes’ beginnings, the wine’s creation, and the flavor profile all in one word! This is an extremely complex wine with enormous crushed granite minerality (duh!), crisp stone fruits, bright lemons, fragrant honeydew melon and an undercurrent of spine-tingling acidity extending the finish. A wine this dense needs time to stretch its legs, so decant an hour if drinking soon, and feel free to sit on a couple bottles of this for a decade plus! We rarely say such things about gruner veltliner, but that tells you just how intricately constructed and deeply layered this wine is. We tasted a vertical of this wine going back to the first vintage on our recent visit to the winery this spring and were blown away by the ageability, and outright complexity in this cuvee. The custom label, is made with real granite to boot, so if you are not a fan of stony minerality in your wines, this wine is not for you.

The vineyards are rooted in the foothills of the Manhartsberg, where two climates collide on two distinct ancient soil types that go back 555 million years. At this site the warmer, drier climate of the Weinviertel meets the harsh cooler climate of the Waldviertel – resulting in warmer, sunny days and bitingly cool nights throughout the growing season, all taking place on soils that combine volcanic granite, quartzite and marble with eroded sandstone and loam. All in all, one of the most unique sites in Austria for growing grapes, all leading to one of the most intriguing and complex gruners we’ve ever tasted! Just over 20 cases available, so speak up and get a move on!

PAIRING IDEAS: This wine has us begging… begging for Thai food. The perfect match? These Green Curry Mussels.

MUSIC SUGGESTIONS: It had to be done… The only Billboard number one in U.S. history in German. Austria’s own Falco singing “Rock Me, Amadeus”.