2015 Weingut Turk, Riesling, Weinberge Kremstal, Austria -photo grapelive

2015 Weingut Turk, Riesling Kremser Weinberge, Kremstal DAC, Austria.
A new winery to me, and one that really impressed, especially for the price, Weingut Turk, in the Kremstal region of Austria, boasts 300 years of winemaking history. Their importer ’s rep Alex Lallos, who’s a Riesling freak like me, calls Turk who are based in the tiny hamlet of Stratzing, an honest, authentic producer of wines built on a foundation of terroir and soulful character, which after tasting this 2015, agree with. This Turk Kremser Weinberge Riesling is a dry and textural wine with purity of fruit, stony in personality and with vigorous persistence displaying intense stone fruit aromas, hints of white flowers, bitter herbs and almonds with a core presence of tree picked tangy apricot as well as steely crisp lemon/lime citrus fruits adding hints of loam, mineral elements, creamy verbena, chamomile and saline infused wet rock. This crystal-clear trocken Kremstal Riesling has plenty of natural extract, acidity and zest, but has a wonderful smooth, vintage marked, smooth roundness and palate impact that really impresses.

From west of Vienna on the Danube River, the Weingut Turk has steep sloping vineyard sites mainly on the region’s classic loess soil over clay and limestone, and while known as a less showy winery with a workman’s like sensibility and subtlety this 2015 shines in the glass and in the mouth with a seriousness of form that I find irresistible and charming. The house style is typically unbaked, stainless steel, but with riper fruit giving more body, like this wine which has 13 % natural alcohol, it’s more in the Smaragd vein. Turk is also well admired for their Gruners and I look forward to tasting those too, and interestingly they in rare vintages do an eiswein, which is non too common these days in this part of Austria. In fact, winemaker Franz Türk, not too long ago, in 2010, at the International Wine Challenge for Austria, had the phenomenal success of winning three of the country’s most prestigious trophies for Best Austrian Dry White Wine, Best Grüner Veltliner and Best Austrian Eiswein! Imported by Balanced Wine Selections, thanks to their local rep Alex Lallos again for letting me try it, he can be contacted about purchase at alex@nolimitfinewines.com, I can’t wait to try Turk’s other bottings!
($22 Est.) 91 Points, grapelive

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