Gruner Veltliner Archives - Wine Club Gallery

Franz Hirtzberger Spitz Gruner Veltliner Steinfeder 2018

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 13:54:47 +0000

Franz Hirtzberger and F.X. Pichler (now Lucas Pichler) are the pillars of the Wachau, literally and figuratively. They are the geographic pillars, representing the two ends, Loiben and Spitz. They are the stylistic pillars; the richness of the warmer eastern end, compared to the minerality and purity of the cooler western end of the Wachau. And they are the qualitative pillars; by the consensus of most the two greatest producers of the Wachau, indeed of dry whites in Austria. While there are differences in approach, Hirtzberger and Pichler share the essentials; pursuit of optimum ripeness, meticulous work in the vines, intimate knowledge of each terroir, and unbelievable amounts of work. Franz told me that each year they do between 4 and 5 passages through each vine at harvest to pick the grapes only when each cluster is perfect. Compare this harvest approach to Grand Cru white Burgundies at multiples the price of even the most precious Hirtzberger cuvée. In the cellar indigenous yeasts are used, fermentations are done in steel, but aging is in larger, older foudres, and a special feature of Hirtzberger wines is Franz’s belief in not too long a time on lies and no batonage in order to express best the purity and minerality of each parcel. — Importer

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Brundlmayer Gruner Veltliner Kamptaler Terrassen 2019

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 13:54:05 +0000

“Nearly every wine, from the light Grüner Veltliner to the red wines and the sparkling wines, has the potential to be the best of that vintage in its category,” declares Peter Moser, editor and publisher of Falstaff Wine Guide, Austria’s most respected and comprehensive wine publication. Also named in 2009 by Wine u0026amp; Spirits Magazine “the best Austrian winemaker of the last 25 years,” Willi Bründlmayer farms 90 hectares of Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, St. Laurent, Zweigelt and Burgundian varieties from an impressive collection of grand cru vineyards around Langenlois. In 2016, Andreas Wickhoff MW joined the estate and as general manager works alongside Willi in all aspects. As of 2019, Bründlmayer is certified organic by LACON, an outside, objective, certifying body. During harvest, multiple selections through the vineyard are made, as botrytis is never accepted. Grapes are never de-stemmed or crushed, and they are handled as minimally as possible. A tiny portion of grapes are held back, de-stemmed, and macerated for 12 hours; Willi uses these as ‘seasoning’ during blending to add another dimension and tonality to the final wines. The Gruner Veltliner ‘Terrassen’ is lightning clean with hay flowers, fine spice, echo of green nuts, zest and apple peel; completely dry, but still juicy on the palate, firmly built, medium-bodied, good definition, light, subtle fruit aroma, with mineral notes in the gentle aftertaste. — Importer

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Gertank Gruner Veltliner 2019

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 13:52:29 +0000

For the “Getränk,” the folks at Dürnberg in the village of Falkenstein are using younger vines at higher altitudes. Approximately two-thirds of the grapes come from Dürnberg vineyards, with the remaining from two growers in the same village who closely follow the same rules of certified sustainable farming. Harvest can take place quite late, beginning in the end of September, which is a big advantage. The grapes preserve well-balanced natural acidity, and are collected and processed at cool internal temperatures, helping to avoid oxidation and any disagreeable aromas or flavors. Fermentation is done in temperature-controlled steel tanks, after which the wine rests for two months on the lees, followed by filtration and bottling. The result is an easy-drinking, refreshing glass of wine. Crisp, dry and ultimately gulpable. Green apple, grapefruit and white pepper notes lead to a refreshing finish. — Importer

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Alzinger Gruner Veltliner Ried Muhlpoint Smaragd 2017

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 13:44:23 +0000

Leo Alzinger is located in Unterloiben, just across the street from Knoll. Leo owns parcels in two of the great vineyards in this part of the river valley: Loibenberg and Steinertal. Loibenberg is a towering, terraced hillside, while the diminutive (5.5 hectare) Steinertal is hidden and maintains a cooler micro-climate. On the terraced vineyards of both sites, Riesling is cultivated on the higher, more primary rock rich parcels while Grüner Veltliner is cultivated on the lower, silty, loess based parcels. Harvest at Alzinger happens later than some of Leo’s neighbors in Unterloiben, something he attributes to old vines and the specific exposition of his parcels. The extra time on the vine doesn’t increase sugar levels, Leo says, but rather pushes physiological ripeness to greater balance. Alzinger crushes whole cluster with a short maceration, then allows the must to settle for 24 hours, dropping any green tannins out. Tasting the wines next to some of the other Wachau greats, it becomes apparent that elegance and pristine fruit is what Leo looks for in winemaking, rather than opulence. Alzinger’s wines are never forceful or assertive; they are instead amazingly sanguine and calmly transparent. The Mühlpoint vineyard is located on the slope of the Steinertal. While in the upper part of the influence of the mountain is still clearly felt and gneiss penetrates to the surface, the lower half is increasingly characterized by the level and continuously deeper loam layers. Aromatically, these factors are mainly noticeable through a pronounced spiciness. — Importer

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Buchegger Holzgasse Gruner Veltliner 2018

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 13:42:54 +0000

Weingut Buchegger was established in 1893. Walter Buchegger—who sadly passed away in 2018— took over from his father in 1994, making him the sixth generation to run the family estate. He and his wife Silke Mayr had originally kept their wineries independent from one another until 2006, when they started to share a winery space. They worked together to run both wineries; now Mayr manages both. The estate has fifteen hectares of vines located in the Kremstal on mostly conglomerate soil topped with loess, planted to Grüner Veltliner and Riesling, with a smattering of Zweigelt, Chardonnay and Merlot. The loess has a high chalk content at sixty-five percent. The top sites in the estate’s holdings are the Gebling, Holzgasse, Pfarrweingarten, Moosburgerin, and Tiefenthal. The vineyards are farmed following the Austrian “Kontrolled Integrated Production” or KIP, which is stricter in some ways that the normal organic designation: for example, it places more stringent limits on the amount of copper sulphate allowed and limits the use of tractors which can compact the soil. Allowing the soil to “breathe” leads to healthier root systems and vines. No herbicides or insecticides have been used in the vineyards for twenty-five years. The Bucheggers are proud that their vines have been around since before scientists were working on clonal breeding and proud also that their vines are all massale selection, and have been from the time the winery was established. The house style is very classic: the wines have ripeness and power, but always without botrytis. These wines are clean, fruity, and easy to drink. Facing southeast, Holzagasse is located 1000 feet above sea level on top of a hill and, because of the steepness of the site, the vineyard has to be terraced. The vines range from twenty to fifty years old and the soil is pure löss. The fruit here ripens later than Gebling, but Buchegger harvests Holzgasse first, in early October, to preserve the freshness of the fruit and keep alcohol levels low. The grapes are hand-picked and rigorously sorted to separate out any inferior fruit or botrytis, and then whole cluster pressed, fermented and aged in stainless steel. — Importer

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E & M Berger Gruner Veltliner Gebling 2019

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 19:18:48 +0000

Weingut Berger is in the eastern part of the Kremstal, in the town of Gedersdorf. With Erich Berger’s guidance, the winery has implemented methods to produce wines that focus on varietal character and terroir. The white wines grow on steep loess terraces that characterize the landscape of the eastern part of the Kremstal. These terraces store heat during the day and reflect it onto the vines at night producing wines with unique fruity, fresh, and bright flavors. Erich’s liter bottling of Grüner Veltliner has steadily improved over the last decade. It’s a perfect foil for the infectious drinkability that this variety is known for but has an extra level of clarity and complexity that is sometimes missing from this category. Fermented entirely in stainless steel from estate grown. Loess dominated vineyards in the Kremstal. — Importer

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Brunn Gruner Veltliner 2019

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 19:16:36 +0000

Karl and Godfried Steinschaden’s family has lived and farmed the land in Engabrunn for 6 generations. The family is dedicated to traditional practices and the farming is being converted to organic. The harvest is done 100% by hand in small cases. Brunn practices traditional fermentation in small tanks in order to reflect the elegant characteristics of its vineyards. The winery has a very old historic subterranean cellar where their wines can mature in perfect conditions. Large neutral Slavonian Oak vats are used to prevent the wood from overpowering the wine. The optimal vineyard soils and climate produce high quality, elegant wines with unique flavors. Brunn’s one liter bottle is a classic Gruner Veltliner with lots of apple and citrus. Crisp with a traditional peppery hint. — Importer

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Pfaffl Gruner Veltliner Zeiseneck 2018

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 19:15:53 +0000

Pfaffl stands for consistent high quality. The Pfaffl family’s greatest strength is family unity. The family focuses on crafting impeccable wines that reflect authentic Austrian terroir through their depth, minerality, and balance. Everyone plays a fulfilling role in which they can evolve. Roman Josef Pfaffl is the winemaker, and his sister Heidi Fischer oversees the commercial side. Father Roman Pfaffl looks after the vineyards and mother Adelheid watches over the newest generation. The family’s teamwork was evident when they won the prestigious honor of being named Wine Enthusiast’s “European Winery of the Year 2016,” a first for an Austrian winery ever. For close to 40 years, the Pfaffls have been ambassadors for high quality Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Chardonnay, Zweigelt, and St. Laurent. In just under 20 years Roman Pfaffl ambitiously grew a little farm with less than 2 acres of vines into a nearly 50 acre wine estate, meandering through 10 villages throughout Weinviertel. Biodiversity is important to Pfaffl, with a simple idea: the more biodiversity there is in the vineyard, the healthier the entire ecosystem is. The vineyard contains selected flowering plants to compete with vigorous grasses that provide a habitat for the beneficial insects amongst the vines. — Importer

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Birgit Eichinger Gruner Veltliner Wechselberg 2019

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 19:15:02 +0000

The winery was founded in 1992 by Birgit Eichinger and her husband Christian. She started out with 3.5 hectares of vineyards from her parents’ vineyard holdings. Over time the vineyard area was expanded so that today fruit is sourced from more than 9 hectares in the best sites of Strass; Heiligenstein on volcanic rock, one of the great terroris of Austria for Riesling; Lamm, at the base of Heiligenstein where volcanic soil mixes with Loess, and which is considered the best site in the Kamptal for Gruner Veltliner; Gaisberg a high hill of Urgestein standing alone equally superb for both Gruner Veltliner and then at higher altitude, Reisling; Wechselberg, a mix of Urgestein and Loess is perfect for Gruner; and Loess is the soil for the Hasel parcels. Vom Berg is a selction of younger vines from Heiligenstien and Gaisberg. Purity, minerality, and length make up the style of all these wines. Eichinger’s Wechselberg Gruner Veltliner is situated directly adjacent to the Gaisberg, on a single south-facing hill, east of the Strasser Valley that elevates to 367m above sea-level. On top of which, you can enjoy unrivaled views of this picturesque valley. Due to the high altitude of the site and a combination of lots of sunshine during the day and very cool temperatures at night provides an amazing depth of character and aromas in the grape. — Importer

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Mayr Gruner Veltliner 2019

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 19:14:39 +0000

Winemaker Franz Arndorfer and his team cultivate some 50 acres of Austria’s Kremstal region. With a long tradition dating back to 1447 the winery has also developed one of Austria’s most ambitious organic farming programs. All vineyard works from pruning, to canopy management, to harvesting at optimum ripeness levels are performed in accordance with this stringent viticulture program. The result is a crisp, vibrant and spicy Grüner Veltliner with unique mineral freshness and refined aromatics. — Importer

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