Sonntag GeschlossenGrüner Veltliner ‘Zusammen – Ausgabe Eins’ 2011-2015 (750ml)

This is a unique wine, even within the curious oeuvre of Markus Sonntag: “Zusammen Ausgabe Eins” translates to “Blended Edition 1.”

This is the first edition of a bottling of all of the released vintages of Sonntag Geschlossen from 2011 until 2015. This is just a fabulous wine, layered and luxurious, while being clear and harmonious as well. The richer vintages like 2012 and 2015 give the wine a soft melon fruit, a certain lavish quality, while the leaner vintages (like 2014, which makes up some 40% of the blend) provide a firm and gripping acid.

This is a great introduction to this unusual and deeply unique project.

There is just no way to reproduce the effects of such extended barrel aging. And there are few precedents for this kind of wine, for this extended an élevage. The only one that comes to mind immediately, are the revered and mystical “Vinothek” bottlings of Nikolaihof – wines that, we might add, command prices of $150-$200+ a bottle.

This bottling should retail somewhere below $40, which is, frankly, ludicrous.