Wine & Spirits

Sankt Laurent 2012 – 93 points
Josef Umathum farms nearly 90 acres spread out along the north and east sides of Lake Neusiedl, tended under biodynamics since 2005. In 2012, a warm, dry August brought the grapes to ripeness for his earliest harvest ever, and one he rates as great. The ripeness of the grapes is evident in this wine, a dark, purple-fruited red that’s reduced at first. But given a couple of hours of air, there’s a wealth of complexity here.
April 2015

Vom Stein, Sankt Laurent 2009 – 91 points
Umathum pulled this wine from a one-hectare patch of extremely gravelly soil (thus the vineyard name, vom stein, or “of stone”). In 2009, the drainage that soil afforded was key, as it rained quite a bit that summer; by Semptember, however, the skies cleared and it stayed warm into October. Between the wine’s age and its measured ripeness, it feels beautifully balanced, the scents richly woodsy and the flavor spicy, earthy and bright with still-vibrant acidity. It lasts with notes of cedar, rose and herbs, a gentle wine for a mushroom pasta. April 2015