Vinous: 91pts
Mango and papaya mingle with apple, rhubarb and roasted parsnip for an effect that adeptly combines tropical ripeness and caramelization with invigorating tang and herbaceous pungency. There are resinous hints of the new 600-liter Ybbstal oak cask in which this was raised, though that has also arguably complemented the wine’s silken texture and framed its fruitiness. Wood may, less felicitously, have robbed us of what might otherwise be shimmer or animation comparable to that of the corresponding Vergelt’s Gott and Schön bottlings. Nevertheless stoniness and salinity lend depth and saliva-inducement to an impressively persistent finish further sustained by the glowing piquancy of apple seed.
-- David Schildknecht
Wine Advocate: 91pts
Fermented and aged in acacia barrels, the 2015 Grüner Veltliner Viesslinger Stern is very clear on the nose and offers ripe yellow apple aromas along with floral and slightly nutty flavors. Round and intense on the palate, with a certain sur-lie character, this is a medium to full-bodied, creamy textured yet lean and mineral, very elegant Grüner with a nice salinity and grip and lemon flavors in the refreshing aftertaste. Excellent quality.