Sommer: beautiful low-intervention wines from Austria’s Leithaberg region
Website: https://weingut-sommer.at/
Sommer are based in Leithaberg, in Burgenland, Austria, where they have 30 hectares of vines. Next generation Leo and Kathrin have taken this winery in interesting directions, and officially took over in 2023, although had been changing direction for a number of years before this. The approach is terroir-focused, low intervention.
I tasted these wines with Leo Sommer (pictured above) at Karakterre in Austria (in May 2024) and also at the Finger Lakes Excursion in New York State (July 2023).
Sommer Pet Nat Riesling 2023 Austria
This is made in a stainless steel tank and then goes to bottle while there is still 20 g/l of sugar. It’s disgorged after the secondary fermentation. Lively and bright with a citrus drive and nice freshness. Lovely fruit here. 90/100
Sommer Handwerk Riesling 2022 Burgenland, Austria
Schist soils with some gneiss and quartz, on south-east facing slopes. Raised in large oak, acacia and concrete. Lovely weight and texture here. Fresh and bright and quite linear with bold, ripe pear and citrus fruit. Finishes fine-grained a slightly salty. Lovely. 93/100
Sommer Handwerk Riesling 2021 Burgenland, Austria
Neusiedlersee is a big 22 mile long lake, but its shallow with an average depth of six feet. It’s possible to walk from Austria to Hungary through the lake. This is grown from the hilly western part of the region, on the Leithaberg. Schist, gneiss and quartz soils, facing the lake. The eastern part is much flatter. Unfiltered and unfined with low sulfites. This is a beautifully expressive Riesling with texture and fine mineral notes, and even some salinity. The acid is beautifully integrated. So textured and layered, this is really fine. 94/100
Sommer Handwerk Welschriesling 2022 Burgenland, Austria
Schist and limestone soils. Spends 2 days on skins, and then it’s pressed into 500 and 600 litre oak barrels. Lively and complex and bright with a lovely citrus core and some creamy hints. Nice depth here with bold fruit and a hint of melony richness. Textured with some slightly jellyish notes. Very fine. 93/100
Sommer Handwerk Sauvignon Blanc 2021 Burgenland, Austria
Complex, bold and bright wit pear and peach fruit, as well as aniseed and herbs. So interesting with powerful lemon and lime fruit, and some creamy, nutty detail. Very fine. 94/100
Sommer Handwerk Sauvignon Blanc 2020 Burgenland, Austria
13.5% alcohol. This is a beautiful expression of Sauvignon Blanc. Lovely crystalline, textured white peach and citrus fruit with some grapefruit and passionfruit. So textural with a fresh, finely grained, tapering mineral core and a lovely weight in the mouth. There’s a freshness and delicacy here, and a wonderful fine, tapering lemony finish. Such purity and precision. 94/100
Sommer Handwerk Traminer 2022 Burgenland, Austria
11 days whole bunch fermentation, then pressed into 500 litre barrels, where it stays for a year. Complex, spicy and lively with lovely freshness and detail. Salty with grape and lemon notes and delicious fruit intensity. This is really impressive. 94/100
Sommer Little Sister Grüner Veltliner 2022 Burgenland, Austria
This is mainly schist soils and vines aged 20-30. Fermented and aged in old barrels, including some acacia 1200 litre barrels. Bright, lively and fresh with some stony notes as well as lemon and pear fruit. Good focus, with a lovely stony edge. 94/100
Sommer Halser Grüner Veltliner 2022 Leithaberg, Austria
Limestone soils, fermented and aged in large oak. Very stylish, peppery and fresh with nice detail to the citrus and pear fruit. Bright and linear and quite mineral, finishing juicy and fresh. This is profound. 95/100
Sommer Leithaberg Blaufrankisch 2021 Burgenland, Austria
12.5% alcohol. 10% whole bunch, and elevage in a mix of amphora and larger oak barrels. Fresh, supple and bright with lovely acidity and some mineral, stony notes, showing nice brightness. Fresh and grippy with good acidity. Pure and fine. 94/100
Sommer Sal Und Rauch Blaufrankisch NV Austria
This is a blend of 2021 and 2022. Fine with some nice reduction, in a classy style with textured cherry and berry fruit with a bit of grip. Grainy, but resolved. 94/100
