June 2012

Tasting Notes, Simon Woods
Hannes Sabathi, Scheurebe Klassik 2010

Flinty Sauvignon-like character, grapefruit and lemon coming through strongly, but there’s a real sense of the soil, lovely fresh, summer seafood wine, dry and bracing, light in alcohol but full in flavour. (S-)

June 2012

Tasting Notes, Jancis Robinson
Hannes Sabathi, Kranachberg Sauvignon Blanc 2009 Südsteiermark

A kerpow Sauvignon! This has SO much ripe fruit. No excess sweetness even though the fruit is very ripe. Blossomy. Great mouthful of bitter sweet fruit – something tropical. Passion fruit flavours. But opulently fruity (without being sickly) and an admirably silky texture. Very long.

Hannes Sabathi is today numbered among the exceptional winegrowers of Southern Styria. With his authentic, characterful and close-to-earth wines, he enjoys the admiration off ans from all over the world.

92 Points    Sauvignon Blanc Kranachberg 2010
92 Points    Grauburgunder Jägerberg 2010
91 Points    Sauvignon Blanc Klassik 2011

June 2012

Super(Markt)Wein, Karin Schnegdar

Sabathi strives to make wines that are immediately identifiable with his region, Southern Styria – ‘they should be able to represent the region…’- For this reason he created the Gamlitz series; the 2011 Gelber Muskateller is a wonderful representative of the grape variety – redolent of lychee and peach, with acids already nicely integrated.

June 2012

Ellen Dekkers

Hannes Sabathi is a young and passionate winegrower form Styria, who is not afraid to go against the grain. He makes white wines with pizzazz, and he vinifies, among other whites, three different Sauvignon Blancs. His Sauvignon Blanc Kranachberg is particularly delicious; with its subtle oak highlights and finished dry, the wine shows delicate notes of mandarin orange, honey and sweet spices. All of Hannes´white wines, form the nutty Morillon to the summer-scented Welschriesling, have a velvety texture. The modern lables, the original website – not to mention Hannes himself – all are simply typical Sabathi. If you should ever find yourself in the vicinity of Graz, you must make the trip down to Gamlitz, and sample these magnificent white wines.

February 2012

Tasting Notes, Simon Woods
Hannes Sabathi, Sauvignon Blanc Klassik 2010

Lively youngster, quite ripe and full flavoured with pithy citrus, elderflower and (tinned) pear characters, plus something a little more exotic like pineapple. Fresh, immediate and tasty. (S-)

Hannes Sabathi Sauvignon Blanc Kranachberg 2009

A year older, but more backward, but opens up to show a rich, spicy side, with the fruit playing second fiddle to the tight pithy mineral and earthy clay notes. Tasty and promising. (S)

January 2012

“Hannes Sabathi Weingut: Styrian Terroir & Burgundian Passion“, Christian Callec

Hannes Sabathi is THE expert on the soil of Styria; it is a topic that interests him deeply and personally. His wines are very authentic, with a strong expression of the soil.

Hannes Sabathi’s Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2007: A wine of the “reserve“ category, made only in top years from the best grapes out of the Kranachberg. It promised quite a lot! The potential was indeed very great, but to be fully honest, the results far exceeded the expectations.

September 2011

Super(Markt)Wein, Karin Schnegdar

The Gelber Muskateller 2010 from Hannes Sabathi in Gamlitz is a wonderfully suited to the role of aperitif wine, but it´s also ideal for fried chicken and smoked meats. In the nose, the Muskateller shows refreshing herbal aromas, followed by bracing and lively acidity on the palate.

September 2011

‘Good prospects on the Kranachberg`, Johann Werfring

In the last decade, new pioneers have emerged here in Austria; folks who want to go one step further and create innovative wines, which qualify not only an ‘good’ or ‘very good’, but ‘sophisticated’ as well. Hannes Sabathi from Gamlitz in Southern Styria is most certainly numbered among these new-breed producers of sophisticated wine. But Sabathi is in no sense a radical. In acknowledgment of the region’s historical achievements, he vinifies his classical bottlings consistently of the conventional Styrian manner, in stainless steel tank with an emphasis on freshness and primary fruit. For the single-vineyard wines, a careful fermentation in large wooden casks – partially with indigenous yeast – is the order of the day. Here the winemaker is able to bring the typicity of the region most clearly and authentically into the bottle. The 2009 Sauvignon Blanc Kranachberg, as inviting as it is elegant, shows many different layers: sugar-snap-peas in the nose along with white asparagus and plenty of herbal spices, followed by a long finish laced with mineral-salts. The 2008 Kranachberg Morillon, with its splendid aromaticity – exotic nuances and blossom-honey highlights, seems rather youthful, and shows a terrific balance in tis hearty and juicy fashion; we can certainly address it as a ‘natural’ wine, and the price/quality ratio is fantastic.

August 2011

‘A Revolution in the Cellar’, Gerhard Hofer

The pear tree in the courtyard has got to be the loveliest pear tree in the world. ‘It’s real old’, says Hans Sabathi. Even though the snowplough took a good whack at it last winter, he continues, ‘it simply can’t be killed…’ In this moment, Hans Sabathi is all winegrower. And what is good is not nearly enough. Coupled with resilience and the tendency to go against the grain, it is now becoming something special. Five years ago, Hannes took over the estate. The only son, the youngest of four children. ‘I was, let’s say, the last hope that this estate would remain in production,’ he remarks and smiles. A little later his mother stows the picnic basket in the boot of the car and drives off into the vineyard. Her son cast a glance at the car and says, ‘My parents have been married now for 45 years, and have spent every day together on this estate.’ In this moment, Sabathi is once more all winegrower. This means that he doesn’t need to trouble himself with concepts like tradition, responsibility and family – those things are all understood as part of the picture. And he´s everything other than a so-called cult-winemaker. By disposition he is probably the exact opposite, totally un-cultish. Despite this, though, there is a perceptible bit of mystique developing; still in the early stages perhaps, but something’s happening. The seeds have been sown, up there on the Kranachberg.

August 2011

„The Gamlitzer Antithesis“, Roland Graf

Hannes Sabathi’s Weißburgunder Klassik brings those things, with it that a good summer wine ought to have: aromaticity – in this case the scents of kiwi fruit and pears – firm acidity, and comparatively little alcohol (11,5%) The green-apple notes on the palate and the easy drinkability round out this ‘little’ Styrian wine. Sabathi disproves in lively fashion the thesis that there are no wines left (all too heavy now, too intense, too much alcohol) which still offer the simple pleasure of being able to drink the entire bottle at lunchtime.

July 2011

„Frisch & Fruchtbetont“ (Fresh & Fruity), Alexander Magrutsch

Melon, plum jam; juicy, delicate, then burbling, unagitated style, no rough edges, lean with green notes, quite like Riesling, clear, cool notes, great drinkability.
2 Glasses (von 3) Sauvignon Blanc Klassik 2010

April 2011

Falkensteins Weinmacher, Pit Falkenstein

About Hannes Sabathi’s Gelber Muskteller 2010: It is an elegant but distinctive libation, with wonderful aromas and a lovely lightness. Nose and palate both are richly filled-out with spices like nutmeg, cardamom and caraway, all planted firmly in a fleshy background of vineyard peach.

Hannes Sabathi is being talked about more and more lately: he makes authentic, down-to-earth wines that have corners and edges and, therefore, show more personality. (...) The wines are characterized by high maturity underscored by a very good acidity structure. They are tightly woven, minerally and have a nervous edge – exactly according to Hannes Sabathi's own taste.

93 points    Sauvignon Blanc Kranachberg 2009
91 points    Morillon Kranachberg 2008
90 points    Sauvignon Blanc Klassik 2010

September 2010

The Meteoric Rise of a Young Styrian Man (Dieter Braatz)

(...) Hannes Sabathi creates exceptional wines from the sandy, pebbled soils of the steep Kranachberg vineyards. And he gives them time to mature undisturbed in a calm environment. (...) This 2008 Sauvignon Kranachberg is captivating - animated, juicy and with rich cassis notes. And it is just at the beginning of its development! (...)

August 2010

Thank you - It was a Wet Holiday (Gerhard Hofer)

(...) Hannes Sabathi is a good winemaker and his Sauvignon Blanc Kranachberg 2008 is very good. It is one of the best local Sauvignons that I've tasted recently. The wine has a discreetly elegant nose. This is extremely important for Sauvignon Blanc. And the palate - it is wonderfully dense and full. (...

3 Gläser        2009 Sauvignon Blanc Klassik
2 Gläser        2007 Grauburgunder Jägerberg

The Kranachberg, a top site with pebbly, limestone-free soils, characterizes the wines of Hannes Sabathi. This young, dedicated winemaker, who is known particularly for his "puristic" approach, tries to bring out in his wines not only incomparable freshness and fruit but also the micro-climatic differences and the varying geological conditions of the Styrian top vineyard site. (...)

18 points      2008 Sauvignon Blanc Kranachberg
18 points      2007 Weißburgunder Kranachberg Reserve
17,5 points   2007 Sauvignon Blanc Reserve
16 points      2008 Gelber Muskateller Klassik
16 points      2008 Sauvignon Blanc Klassik

2 Stars Weingut Hannes Sabathi (Hans Pleininger)

(...) This young South Styrian is at home on the Kranachberg - and he also knows how to handle the neighbouring site, Jägerberg, where his Burgunder comes from. (...)

Editor's Tips :
2008 Morrilon Kranachberg
2007 Sauvignon Blanc Reserve

In recent years, Hannes Sabathi has been causing quite a stir – and often - with his authentic wines that express their relationship to the soil and show even more personality because of their edges and corners. [...] The wines are distinguished by high ripeness and a very good acidity structure. They are tightly woven, minerally and very clear and focused - exactly like Hannes Sabathi´s taste.

92 – 94 points    2008 Sauvignon Blanc Kranachberg
91 – 93 points    2007 Sauvignon Blanc Reserve
90 points    2008 Gelber Muskateller Klassik

September 2009

Riegl aufi, Riegl obi (uphill – downhill)

Markus Honsig wrote about the most exciting wine sites in the Südsteiermark. Along with Pössnitzberg, Steinbach and Schusterberg, he also wrote – and very intensely - about our Kranachberg site. Download article

July 2009

Wine of the month

Stephan Reinhardt, editor or WeinWisser magazine, tasted our Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2006 and rated it with 17 out of 20 points. He called it "a noble Kranachberger”. Plus, he wrote that it is “finer and more layered – also more serious and complex than many of its competitors." Download article

July 16th, 2009

Young and Restless

Peter Rüedu wrote about our Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2006: "The Reserve 2006, matured for more than two years in small wooden barrels, is a non-plus-ultra of elegance on the Sauvignon scale - complex, multilayered and the complete opposite of the obtrusively fragranced nose that the variety can yield from heavy soils and after loveless `chug and chuck ´ vinification. Sabathi has succeeded in creating one of the most beautiful Sauvignons that I´ve ever tasted." Download article

April 2009

Time of Ripening

Wolfgang Wieser visited me and two other winemakers to find out the wine-credo that unites us – specifically vintage, personality, site and patience. "Hannes Sabathi, the likeable stubborn one from the Südsteiermark and whose life would be much easier if he would produce the usual standard, calls it - somewhat poetically – the `time of ripening´." Download article

2 stars 2008 Sauvignon Blanc Kranachberg
2 stars 2007 Weißburgunder Reserve
2 stars 2007 Sauvignon Blanc Reserve

For Gault Millau, our Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2006 is one of Austria´s ten best white wines and was rated in the Guide 2009 with 19 points. The 2009 Gault Millau´s points for our wines:

19 points       2006 Sauvignon Blanc Reserve
18.5 points    2007 Grauburgunder Jägerberg
18 points       2006 Morillon Reserve
17.5 points    2007 Sauvignon Blanc Kranachberg
17 points       2007 Morillon Kranachberg

February 2008

Jamie Goode wrote in his wine blog about our meeting:

Wild Honey with Hannes Sabathi
I met with young Austrian winemaker Hannes Sabathi (pictured) today for lunch at Wild Honey. […]

So, how were Hannes' wines? Not yet 28, and running the family winery, he seems to be doing a brilliant job. The winery is in Südsteiermark (Southern Styria), which specializes in Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Muskateller. The Klassik wines are precise and fresh, while the Single Vineyard wines have real personality and depth, allied to a minerally precision. There's also a reserve line, and the two Sauvignon Reserves I tried, 2003 and 2006, are among the best expressions of this grape I've yet to experience. Download article

Stuart Pigott and his team on our wines:
Hannes Sabathi is a young and restless winemaker who isn´t afraid to go in new directions. (...) The wines of Hannes Sabathi are different from the Styrian average. They are bold, self-confident and full of finesse and harmony. Also beautiful is the bone-dry style of his Classic line (...)
Download article