Dorli Muhr Ried Spitzerberg Obere Roterd 1OTW Erste Lage 2021

Cellar for up to 15 years. Decant for 1 hour or more before serving. For three decades Dorli Muhr worked hard to help put Austrian wines on the map before turning her attention to her grandmother’s small 0.17 hectare vineyard in Spitzerberg. This hidden gem formed the basis of Dorli’s new project as she gradually acquired other prime sites planted with old Blaufränkisch vines. In the early days Dorli’s village neighbours worried about her unorthodox techniques like treading the grapes by foot and fermenting using wild yeasts. Yet over time her methods and dedication became pivotal in establishing Spitzerberg as one of Austria’s prestigious Erste Lage or “Premier Crus”. Obere Roterd is a narrow sub-region of Spitzerberg located on a narrow plateau on sandy dry soils with some limestone present. Dorli chooses to mature this wine in large neutral casks for 22 months to showcase the natural elegance and poise of the terroir. She also takes a very minimalist approach to vinification, leaving the must to ferment spontaneously in open vats without any cooling or pumping and stomping a third of the grapes by foot. This gentle approach creates a remarkably complex wine where rich fruit is harmoniously balanced by plenty of freshness. From the first sip it is easy to see why Dorli’s Obere Roterd consistently receives scores in the high 90s from major wine critics like James Suckling.

Price: £72.30 from 8wines UK