Salomon Undhof Kremstal, Austria.
Established: 1792
Appellations: Kremstal DAC, Kremstal DAC Reserve
Proprietor: Bertand and Gertrud Salomon
Winemaker: Bert + Bert (son) Salomon
Wine Making Overview: Gravity used throughout the winery with pumping. Hand harvested grapes go directly to the de-stemmer or press for 3-12 hour of skin contact for single vineyard wines. Separation of free run from press juice with settling by gravity for 2-4 days. Fermentation in stainless stell for 8-15 weeks at approx 20°C. Single vineyard wines aged on fine lees, Riesling in stainless steel and Gruner partly aged in large oak with bottling generally before the summer.
Average Production: 12000 dozen
Vineyard Area: 30ha
Viticulture: CIP regulations (Controlled Integrated Production). No herbicides or pesticides, cover crops planted to promote vineyard bio-diversity and soil health.
Vegan Friendly: Yes
Vineyards: based in Krems
Ried Kogl
Ried Pffafenberg
Ried Lindberg
Wieden
many others in Kremstal
Vine Density: Specific plantings in different vineyards. Spacing in the row generally 0.9m to 1m. Width between the rows 1.2m to 2.5m.
Bert Salomon Jnr, taking us to the Kögl 1OTW (1er Cru) vineyard on the Danube, just after budburst 2020.
“Salomon Undhof is a figurehead of the Austrian wine history. White wines have been produced here from some of the best ‘Grand Cru’ locations along the Danube for 225 years. Well-known vineyards like Steiner Kögl, Pfaffenberg, Lindberg or Wachtberg … excellent dry Rieslings and Grüner Veltliner - long-lasting, elegant wines for which the house is famous.”
“So good for so long, it’s easy to overlook Salomon Undhof, whose deeply mineral and transparent wines are some of the country’s most profound. Elegant and refined are words that come to mind. These wines dazzle with their quiet, staid solidity.”
“Bert Salomon is on a roll, having over the past several years achieved increasingly consistent and impressive results at what was already among the Kremstal’s longstanding best addresses, not to mention among the area’s historical leaders and earliest estate-bottlers of Riesling.”
Founded in 1792 Salomon Undhof is one of the oldest privately owned wineries of Austria situated in the picturesque town of Stein on the Danube River. The Salomon family own 30 hectares of vineyards which are planted with equal amounts of Riesling and Grüner Veltliner as well as a tiny amount of Gelber Traminer on the best terraced sites along the Danube River in Stein and Krems. Today, seventh generation Dr Bert Salomon and his wife Gertrud are the custodians of almost 230 years of wine-making history.
Matching each grape variety with the right soil and climate has always been the main focus of Salomon’s viticultural efforts. Loess soils offer optimum conditions for the Grüner Veltliner planted on the Ried Lindberg site, while the urgestein (primary rock) soils in the vineyards of Ried Kögl and Ried Pfaffenberg are ideally suited to Riesling. These are the same soils as those of the Wachau, which borders the town of Stein to the west. All the grapes are harvested traditionally by hand only. These great vineyard locations coupled with meticulous work in both the vineyards and the winery result in a range of wines with great power and complexity, yet with lovely finesse and a striking mineral personality.
2020 Salomon Undhof Gemischter Satz Funferl (Stelvin)
‘Gemischter Satz’ translates to ‘Mixed Set’ in English and refers to the practice of growing several varieties in the one vineyard and then harvesting them all together. The fruit is then pressed as one parcel and fermented together, producing a wine that in English we would call a field blend. The significance here though is that this was common practice in Austria for many centuries. Although it never completely died out, the process is actively being revived today, particularly in the wine regions around Vienna. Salomon began producing Fünferl (a ‘fiver’) with the 2016 vintage. The 2020 Fünferl is a blend of Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Gelber Muskateller, Müller Thurgau and Sauvignon Blanc. The fruit is harvested and pressed together, then cool-fermented in stainless steel.
‘A fresh and lively dry white that’s easy drinking and has some nice herbal and apple character. A beautifully made, everyday wine. Drink now.’ 89 points, Stuart Pigott, JS Wine Ratings, October 2021.
Grüner Veltliners
2021 Salomon Undhof Grüner Veltliner Wieden Kremstal DAC (Stelvin)
Encircled by a massive property wall, the Wieden vineyard adjoins the winery. Vines from the Wieden old Gruner Veltliner rootstocks have also been planted on the terraces of the neighbouring Kreuzberg vineyard and this wine is a blend of the two sites.
The 2021 Grüner Veltliner Wieden blends three Krems vineyards, including a bit from the Kögel but much more from the Wachtberg, and shows a clear, lush and intense, a bit phenolic and grippy palate with a ripe and elegant, savory and saline texture, but the grip is a bit too biting for my tastes. 12.5% stated alcohol. Screw-cap closure. Tasted at the domaine in September 2022. 88 points, Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate, December 2022.
2022 Salomon Undhof Grüner Veltliner Wieden Kremstal DAC (Stelvin) - due 2024
Encircled by a massive property wall, the Wieden vineyard adjoins the winery. Vines from the Wieden old Gruner Veltliner rootstocks have also been planted on the terraces of the neighbouring Kreuzberg vineyard and this wine is a blend of the two sites.
'Flint, juniper berries, celery salt and guava aromas here. Sleek and saline on the palate, with plenty of power and concentration packed into a medium body. Long and serious. Sustainable. Drink or hold. Screw cap.’ 93 points, Stuart Pigott, JamesSuckling.com, July 2023.
2021 Salomon Undhof Grüner Veltliner Alte Reben Ried Lindberg 1ÖTW Kremstal DAC Reserve (Stelvin)
Lindberg is an Erste Lage classified vineyard in Krems, located between the vineyards Kögl and Wachtberg. The Grüner Veltliner vines here are over 80 years old and are planted on a soil of loess over slate in a cool, breezy mesoclimate. The fruit was hand-picked, crushed and macerated for 12 hours, then cold-settled for 48 hours. Wild-yeast fermented for 8 weeks in stainless steel, then matured over winter on fine lees.
The 2021 Riesling Pfaffenberg is picked from the gneiss and amphibolite of this steep site directly on the Danube. The nose is much more shy than the bright and open 2022. Subtle bergamot and tangerine peek through gently. The palate, likewise, is more closed but comes with a bright clarity of Mirabelle jelly and a passion fruit tartness that is as appealing as it is sour. Beautiful, linear, taut and bright, with zesty concentration, the finish is absolutely mouthwatering and dry. (Bone-dry) 95 points, Anne Krebiehl, Vinous Media, November 2023.
2019 Salomon Undhof Grüner Veltliner Ried Lindberg 1ÖTW Kremstal DAC Reserve
‘Bright yellow-green, silver reflections. Fine yellow apple fruit underlaid with fresh meadow herbs, nutty-biscuit-like undertone, hint of tobacco in the background. Complex, elegant, extract-sweet texture, fine acidity, stays for a long time, a harmonious accompaniment to food, safe aging potential.’ 96 points, Peter Moser, Falstaff Wine Guide, July 2020.
‘80 year old vines face south and south-east on hard gneiss bedrock covered by with calcerous, sandy loess soil. Exceptionally fine and balanced, its only on the finish and aftertaste that the power of the variety is displayed, led by white pepper and some luscious stone fruits. 15.4% alc; cork.’ 95 points, James Halliday, Weekend Australian magazine, February 2023.
Rieslings
2021 Salomon Undhof Riesling Ried Kögl 1ÖTW Kremstal DAC (Stelvin)
Kögl is an Erste Lage classified vineyard overlapping the border between Krems and Stein, with a steeply terraced, due south aspect. The soil here is heavily weathered urgestein, particularly rich in crystalline shale. Hand-picked, crushed and macerated for 12 hours, then cold-settled for 48 hours. Wild-yeast fermented for 5 weeks in stainless steel, matured over winter on fine lees and bottled in June 2022.
‘Beautiful, effusive nose of ripe white and yellow peach with a hint of exotic fruit. Concentrated, racy and energetic, this is a literally and metaphorically brilliant dry riesling, the wet-stone character and bright fruit beautifully interwoven at the very long finish. Drink or hold. Screw cap.’ 95 points, Stuart Pigott, JS Wine Ratings, September 2022.
2022 Salomon Undhof Riesling Ried Kögl 1ÖTW Kremstal DAC (Stelvin)
‘Real mountain freshness. Stacks of fresh herb aromas with some white peach and white flowers. Very crisp with plenty of wet stone minerality on the sleek palate. Hard to believe this has 13.5% alcohol due to the brightness at the long, refreshing finish. Sustainable. Drink or hold. Screw cap.’ 93 points, Stuart Pigott, JS Wine Ratings, September 2023.
2021 Salomon Undhof Riesling Alte Reben Ried Steiner Kögl 1ÖTW Kremstal DAC Reserve (Stelvin)
Ried Kögl is produced from the older vines (> 50 years) on the Stein side of the Kögl vineyard that straddles the Stein/Krems border.
Kögl is an Erste Lage classified vineyard overlapping the border between Krems and Stein, with a steeply terraced, due south aspect. The soil here is heavily weathered urgestein, particularly rich in crystalline shale. Hand-picked, crushed and macerated for 12 hours, then cold-settled for 48 hours. Wild-yeast fermented for 5 weeks in stainless steel, matured over winter on fine lees and bottled in June 2022.
'Bright green-yellow, silver reflections. Something like pineapple, mineral touch, blossom honey, yellow plum, passion fruit, dense bouquet. Multi-faceted, juicy, balanced and sweet with apricot extract, powerful, sticks well, reliable ripening potential, complex accompaniment to food, great representative of the variety.’ 97 points, Peter Moser, Falstaff Wine Guide, October 2022.
2021 Salomon Undhof Riesling Alma (amphora) (Stelvin)
Based on fruit from the Ried Grillenparz Erste Lage vineyard, de-stemmed and whole-berry fermented (that is, with the skins and seeds) in three Georgian amphoras for five months. Vinified without sulphur and only given a small amount at bottling.
'From the Grillparz and fermented in a buried amphora for six months, then "aged" in stainless steel until June, the 2021 Riesling Amphora Alma offers a clear, savory and herbal bouquet with stony but also aromatic fruit aromas. On the palate, this is a lush and round, juicy and pretty charming Riesling fermented on the mash. The wine is lush and intense, but it's not as structurally complex as the Pfaffenberg or Kögl old vines. Medium-weight and stimulating. No malolactic. 13.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted in September 2022.’ 90 points, Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate, December 2022.
2021 Salomon Undhof Riesling Alte Reben Ried Pfaffenberg 1ÖTW Kremstal DAC Reserve
Pfaffenberg is an Erste Lage classified vineyard in Stein, rising dramatically and steeply straight up from the Danube, with a due south aspect. The soil here is heavily weathered urgestein (old primary rock), derived from gneiss and granite From 50+ year-old vines, hand-picked, crushed and macerated for 12 hours, then cold-settled for 48 hours. Wild-yeast fermented for 6 weeks in stainless steel, matured over winter on fine lees and bottled in July 2022.
‘Bright in color and aromas, the 2019 Ried Pfaffenberg 1ÖTW Stein Riesling Alte Reben is intense, perfectly ripe and concentrated on the nose, with white vineyard peach and leafy aromas and finely spicy notes. Fruit-intense and dense on the palate, this is a concentrated, piquant and juicy wine with texture and structure and a long and aromatic finish. A classic that can go a long distance. 13.5% alcohol. Tasted at the domain in June 2021. Drink 2021-2051.’ 95 points, Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate, December 2021.
2019 Salomon Undhof Riesling Ried Pfaffenberg 1ÖTW Kremstal DAC Reserve (Stelvin)
‘Bright in color and aromas, the 2019 Ried Pfaffenberg 1ÖTW Stein Riesling Alte Reben is intense, perfectly ripe and concentrated on the nose, with white vineyard peach and leafy aromas and finely spicy notes. Fruit-intense and dense on the palate, this is a concentrated, piquant and juicy wine with texture and structure and a long and aromatic finish. A classic that can go a long distance. 13.5% alcohol. Tasted at the domain in June 2021. Drink 2021-2051.’ 95 points, Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate, December 2021.
NV Riesling vom Kogl Eau de Vie (350ml) Clear Brandy distilled from Riesling skins from the Kogl vineyard (vino-lok closure).
NV Wachauer Marille Eau de Vie - SOLD OUT (350ml) Clear Brandy distilled from Wachau apricots (vino-lok closure).
NV Marc Gelber Traminer Eau de Vie - SOLD OUT (350ml) Clear Brandy distilled from Gelber Traminer skins (vino-lok closure).