The leap from Gols to Breitenbrunn on the other side of the Neusiedlersee (Lake Neusiedl), from the Salzberg to the Alter Berg and Edelgraben vineyards, is not vast in distance, but there is much more that divides the two regions than the lake. When we purchased our first vineyards on the slopes of the Leithaberg (Leitha Mountains), we suspected that we would be encountering a new wine world, but the dimensions were certainly not clear. In the meantime we recognize the potential that lime and schist hold and we subsequently began a project that one should actually plan over three generations rather than just one. But the time was ripe and it is what it is.

Leithaberg comprises a radical counterpoint to our vineyards in Gols. The 160-metre high escarpment of the Parndorfer Platte (Parndorfer Plain) counters a slope that rises to 300 metres above sea level. Layers of lime metres thick that would make Burgundians envious largely determine the subsoil. There, where lime is found, schist is also often present in similar abundance. Dense forests that surround the vineyards have an eminent influence on the climate. The same goes for the brisk winds that blow continuously through the vines. Add to this the nightly drop in in temperature on the slopes, it is only logical that the wines from the west shore of the lake possess a completely different style profile than their brothers and sisters from the other lakeside in Gols. Alter Berg and the other Leithaberg sites open the gates for the substance and delicacy of Blaufränkisch. They also offer a foundation for clear, vibrant, and substantial white wines (Weissburgunder/Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, and Neuburger), not to mention the finesse and vitality of Pinot Noir.