2016 Gruner Veltliner von Donabaum

Cocktail Hour Will Never Be the Same

If you’ve been on the hunt for a show-stopping, delicious white to offer during the cocktail hour — one that hits under $20, but drinks like a $30 bottle, listen: After a private dinner in the West Village last fall, and a dazzling menu of Japanese cuisine prepared by a Michelin-starred chef, we went home dreaming about this 2016 von Donabaum white. So, we set about securing an allocation, which brings us to today. This rich, terrifically mineral white is bracketed by mouthwatering vibrancy with layers of citrus and orchard fruits. 91 points from Wine Enthusiast and at $18.99 it’s generosity and complexity belies its price. So, go on, pop open the Patz & Hall alongside this Donabaum and watch as this wine steals the show. Trust us when we say you’re going to want at least a case. Good news: we have 120 to go around.

Last September, we made our way along the narrow streets of the West Village towards one of the most highly anticipated meals of the year. A sommelier friend had snagged us an invitation to a private six-course dinner cooked by a Michelin-starred chef, inspired by the cuisine of traditional Japanese izakayas.

The night did not disappoint: the sashimi was glossy and elegant, the wasabi-marinated octopus startlingly fresh, the tamagoyaki (a Japanese omelet) custard-soft. But what had us rushing back to the computer later that evening with our notebook was one of the wine pairings: the terrifically rich 2016 von Donabaum Grüner Veltliner — one the best examples of the variety we’d tasted in years.

The von Donabaum Grüner Veltliner hails from a single-vineyard in the cool-climate village of Röschitz, nestled in the hills beneath the Manhartsberg mountain range. Here, 25-year-old vines spider into a topsoil of clay and sand on top of primary rock, lending the wine gorgeous mineral sophistication and flinty finesse. The continental climate of the Weinviertel region means days are hot while nights are cold, a sharp climatic variation that endows the Grüner with a bright vein of electric acidity and rich aromatics.

We weren’t the only ones to have our heads turned by von Donabaum’s 2016 release. Wine Enthusiast pinned on 91 points, writing that the wine “leads with lovely touch of flint, accentuating its green pear and lemon zest aromas. On the palate, it’s light and dry, with a phenolic character that lends both texture and structure, adding complexity to all the freshness.”

For a short window of time today, lock up one of the most astonishingly rich and mineral whites we’ve tasted this year.

Jonathan Cristaldi

Editor-in-Chief, Wine Access

• Fruit Intensity
• Oak Intensity
• Body
• Sweetness
• Acidity

• ABV 13.00%
• Enjoy right away
• Drink Up
• % Grüner Veltliner
• Serving temperature – 50°
• Screw cap