Alter Berg Blaufränkisch 2017
Character
Clothed in a purple cloak that shimmers between violet and an opaque core, this Blaufränkisch exudes aromatic purism. Pure, brilliant black cherry is reflected in all its forms from the skin to the fruit flesh and juice to the seed. This finds subtle support in discreet toasty aromas and robust earthiness – and you can sense the smell of a steamy summer street after it has been cooled by a summer downpour. Precisely focused and meticulously delineated on the palate – given attentiveness, air and patience in a large glass, its true strengths become apparent: length instead of width, expressiveness instead of loudness. Because not the volume is crucial, but the sound quality. Sensitively animating acid and the pure, cool elegance of the fruit invigorate. The concentrated structure of fine-grained tannin is effortless in the 2017 Blaufränkisch Alter Berg. On the one side, this combination causes the wine to vibrate with energy, yet on the other still appear marvellously relaxed and rested.
Origin
This wine expresses a southeast exposed slope of the Leithaberg (Leitha Mountains) in Winden. A cooling forest crowns this marvellous vineyard, which looks toward Neusiedler See (Lake Neusiedl). Giant cherry trees grow between the vines and one finds million-year-old fossils from a prehistoric sea throughout the meagre limestone dominated soils that lend this wine its extraordinary minerality.
Genesis
Bottled with conscientious handcraft and great care throughout the entire life cycle. The vineyards are cultivated according to the biodynamic regulations of the Respekt association. Handpicked at the beginning of October, spontaneous fermentation with three weeks maceration in wooden fermentation vats, matured for 29 months in used 500-litre oak barrels.
Sober facts
100% Blaufränkisch • 13.0% vol. • 6.3 g/l acidity • 1.0 g/l residual sugar • bottle sizes (l): 0.75, 1.5, 3.0 • bottled end of April 2020
