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Sattlerhof
Steiermark, Austria4 wines4.0 avg
Fourth-generation biodynamic Styrian estate in Gamlitz - Sauvignon Blanc and Morillon from coral-limestone slopes, a founding member of the STK cru system.
Sattlerhof sits in Gamlitz, in Südsteiermark, near the Slovenian border in the southern part of Austrian wine country. The first documented reference to the estate is from 1886. Its modern shape came in the 1960s, when Willi Sattler Sr. decided to make dry, unadulterated, site-specific whites - no chaptalisation, no acidification, no residual sugar - at a time when most of the region was sweetening its wines. Four generations later, Willi Jr. is the family head, with sons Alexander (vineyards, since 2018) and Andreas (cellar, since 2014) running day-to-day operations. The brother Hannes runs the on-site restaurant.
Around forty hectares, hand-worked, certified biodynamic under Respekt-BIODYN since 2021. Sattlerhof is a founding member of STK - Steirische Terroir & Klassik - the Styrian answer to Burgundy's cru hierarchy. Their classified sites are the heart of the portfolio:
- Pfarrweingarten (Grosse STK, monopole) - south-facing basin on shell and coral limestone (Muschelkalk). Bottled as a Burgunder blend (Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris) since the 2021 vintage.
- Kranachberg (Grosse STK) - limey sands and limestone with quartz gravel and light mica
- Kapellenweingarten (Grosse STK) - sandy/gravelly soils at high elevation
- Sernauberg (Erste STK) - very steep, sandy gravel on the surface
Sauvignon Blanc is the headliner. Morillon - the Styrian name for Chardonnay - is the other voice. Welschriesling and Muskateller play supporting roles. The philosophy is Burgundian in temperament if not in grape: site over variety, restraint over flash, long lees contact and large oak for the top sites.
The family also runs a Michelin-starred restaurant next to the cellar, which matters less than it sounds, except that it tells you something about how they think about wine: not as a trophy, but as something that belongs on a table. Fossilised seabed in one hand, dinner in the other.
