Weingut Hirsch, Grüner Veltliner “Kammern”

Many of you will remember the wines of Hirsch from their old black-and-gold labels with the deer (‘hirsch’) over the second ‘h.’ Striking as those labels were, I think the spare elegance of the newly designed Hirsch bottle—still graced with a leaping deer—better represents the impeccable, refined wine inside.Johannes Hirsch runs his family estate with a deep respect for its centuries-old history, farming his 31 hectares of vineyards according to rigorous biodynamic principles and producing single-vineyard wines from some of the best sites in Austria’s picturesque Kamptal. There’s a level of refinement, purity, and precision from the top to the bottom of the Hirsch, as evidenced by this 2015 “Hirschvergnügen” Grüner Veltliner. How this wine costs only $23 is beyond me, but I’m not complaining: There’s structure, texture, and aromatic complexity to spare here, complements not just of an exceptional vintage but an exceptional winemaker. It’s what I’d call a ‘gateway wine,’ because it coul