In recent years, the Krems Valley has increasingly emerged from the shadow of the neighbouring Wachau. In the meantime, word has also spread outside of Austria that the wines of Krems are not inferior to those of the famous neighbouring region. It is not only the nationally known winegrowers who deserve attention. Even the less familiar names often have excellent wines to offer, which are also frequently available at very reasonable prices. The difficult 2014 vintage in particular made it clear how well the "second tier" is now positioned.
As almost everywhere in Lower Austria, Grüner Veltliner plays by far the most important role here. Slightly more than half of the entire cultivated area is planted with it. The great differences in location and soil - from primary rock weathering in the west and north to pure loess in the east, in between conglomerate and transitional soils and, especially near the Danube and in the south, gravel, loam and lime - with their differentiated microclimates, but also completely different farming philosophies make for an astonishing variety of wine styles; so you won't get bored in the Kremstal even if you only stick to Veltliner.
We tasted mostly 2014 wines, but also some reserves from 2013, such as the very firmly woven, powerful and yet surprisingly cool "Herzstück vom Kirchenberg" by Martin Nigl, the taut, juicy and at the same time compact "Artur Toifl" and the powerful Gebling by Thiery-Weber, Proidl 's sweet and spicy Ehrenfels as well as Hermann Moser 's uncommonly taut "Fortissimo", which only opens slowly, his earthy-vegetable, somewhat warmer "Der Löss" and Sepp Moser's melting and spicy Reserve, three more Veltliners from Rohrendorf's Gebling. One, however, towers above them all this year: Proidl's immensely complex, profound and powerful Senftenberger "Genaration X"; not a Kremstal DAC like all the others, but a wine that will not be forgotten for a long time. So there is no need to worry about the next generation of the old master.
From the 2014 vintage, two Grüner Veltliners from the Malat winery in Palt on the right bank of the Danube lead our list: Höhlgraben and Gottschelle, both incredibly firm and not yet very developed, both very mineral, the Höhlgraben perhaps even a touch more gripping. On a similar level, but fruitier, sweeter and more playful is Walter Buchegger's "Leopold", who represented another reserve in the top group with his Pfarrweingarten. Also at the top are Nigl's "Privat" followed by Franz Türk's Sandgrube and Thurnerberg as well as Anton Zöhrer's very individual, buttery and corn-like "Anteon".
However, the list of recommendable Veltliners is too long to go into all of them individually, you can find all the wines currently tasted here.
The Kremstal is one of the areas in Lower Austria where the Rieslings of the 2014 vintage are often on a par with the Veltliners, sometimes even surpassing them. This is especially true around Senftenberg, where Martin Nigl can boast 4 wines in the top group with "Privat", Goldberg, Piri and Hochäcker, but also again in the south at Malat, whose Silberbichl and Steinbühel are right up there. Walter Buchegger's Tiefenthal and Moosburgerin are also excellent, as is Josef Bründlmayer's Steingraben.
The 2013 Rieslings are often a little more powerful than the sometimes very elegant 14s, but the wines here are almost never really heavy anyway. Again, Nigl's "Privat" is the best of the wines tasted this year, but the wine seems so closed at the moment that it should be allowed to mature for another year. In the meantime, you can already drink Proidl's powerful, sweet-melting, saffron-spicy and mineral Ehrenfels, the two Gebling from Thiery-Weber (tart, firm, spicy and mineral the Reserve from Rohrendorf; warm, melting and powerful the "Artur Toifl" from Gedersdorf) or Hermann Moser's warm, sweet-juicy Gebling, which is a bit more rustic in style. Leopold Müller's earthy and tobaccoy Leithen, on the other hand, should also be waited for at least until next spring.
The list of all Rieslings tasted this year from the Kremstal with many other recommendable wines can be found here.
Some of the other varieties show the difficulties of the vintage more often than Grüner Veltliner and Riesling, but many are also successful. Of course, the Red Veltliner from the Mantlerhof, whose Reisenthal turned out fine, cool and lively this year, is indispensable. Thiery-Weber's tightly woven, complex and juicy Gemischter Satz "Wolferl" is also excellent, and Josef Bründlmayer's Neuburger Vordernberg, Martin Nigl's and Hermann Moser's Sauvignons are highly recommended, as is a fine, lively Muskateller from the latter. In Chardonnay, Weingut Müller impresses with a polished, mineral, astonishingly cool Mugeln from 2012, but the 13er Reserve from Heurigenschank Eder is also impressive, although its warm, melting, somewhat buttery-caramel style is made for a completely different taste. A certain curiosity is Franz Türk's excellent, powerful, juicy and grippy sparkling wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon. One should not pass him by.
Considering that one hardly associates the Kremstal with red wine, there are some amazing wines in the area. Mainly responsible for this are Michael and Gerald Malat, who not only produce one of the best St. Laurent in Austria, but also excellent Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve from Thiery-Weber and Walter Buchegger's Pinot Noir Reserve from the same vintage were also remarkably good this year.