2022 Gobelsburg Rosé Schlosskellerei Gobelsburg 'Cistercien '

Much of Austria’s Danube Valley is considered far too cool to fully ripen the native red wine grapes planted there and some of those become the source of Schloss-Gobelsburg’s scintillating Rose.  Even though this excellent, now 850-year old, estate is well-known for its iconic Gruner-Veltliner and Riesling-based whites, the production of pink wine is far more than an afterthought here.  They cultivate these red grapes especially to produce dry Rose and make it more like one of their excellent whites than simply as a by-product bled from their red wine production as is the case at many similar such properties.  Traditionally made from the dark, snappy Zweigelt grape, the spicier, earth Saint Laurent and the more delicate, lacy Pinot Noir, the Schloss-Gobelsburg Rose is known for a degree of finesse we rarely see at this price point.  Fresh, fresh, fresh with aromatics focused on white peach, wild strawberry with a hint of violet and spice, the finish is gorgeous, minerally and bone dry.  Great as an aperitif, it’s plenty substantial enough, also, to stand up to all kinds of fare; just about anything you’d consider pairing with one of Schloss-Goblesburg’s excellent Guners or Rieslings or, to put it another way, this is a wine that will really make your schnitzel stand up!  *** Arugulas, *** Hammocks on PRIMA’s scientific Rose scale.