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Wine Description
The Story
The Bründlmayer family owns 10 hectares on the "Zöbinger Heiligenstein". Beginning in the 1920’s, without the help of mortar wine terraces of natural stone were laid in the vineyards that now give the grapes for Riesling Heiligenstein Alte Reben. Original Riesling vines of the Heiligenstein have been bred throughout the decades by cloning and layering. Today the old vines average 50 years of age with the oldest reaching as many as 75 years.
Older vines are less productive, forming fewer and smaller grapes that profit from a well-developed root system. This root system reaches deeply into the ground and supplies its fruit with potent nourishment. Consequently, wines of these vineyards are extremely flavorful with enormous concentration.
Grape variety: Riesling
Harvest yield: 2,500 l / ha
Alcohol content: 13%
Bottle closure type: Natural cork
Maturation: We ferment the must in stainless steel at a temperature of 15-20° Celsius.
Food pairing recommendation: An excellent food companion with grilled fish, roast or fried chicken, salted or smoked meats (but without sauerkraut!), Wiener schnitzel, or as an alternative to red wine with roast duck or goose. It’s also ideally suited to many hearty exotic dishes . After some years of maturing, it can be recommended for fish with a variety of sauces - such as beurre blanc or Riesling cream sauce.
VINEYARD
Size: 36.7 ha
Elevation: 230 – 345 m
Inclination: 13 °
Orientation: South to South-West
Wine Information
Tasting notes: Right from the beginning - a captivating, gorgeous nose with scents of candied pineapple and milk chocolate followed by yellow peach. Mature and powerful, but never overwhelming. Very expressive palate with fruit sweetness and - once again – even with all the power is defined more by finesse. Beautiful tension and suspense, showing a density usually present in a big dessert wine, but without botrytis. An almost festive character complemented by the vibrant, racy acidity. Enough reserves for many, many years to come. – Viktor Siegl
Awards:
97/100 FALSTAFF WEINGUIDE 2017/2018
94-96/100 ROBERT PARKER, THE WINE ADVOCATE 08/17
The 2016 vintage: When flowering began on June 10th, it signalled that 2016 was one of the earliest - though not extremely early - vintages, which indeed was very promising; we had expected wines that were mature, but not heavy, and were looking forward to having the entire spectrum, from light and fresh sparkling and Grüner Veltliner wines, to outstanding, late harvest Reserve quality wines.
After a relatively damp spring, the summer proved rainy as well. It was only during the last week of August that a sunny, stable weather period began, allowing for a wonderful development of ripeness.
A very sunny and warm September was followed in early October by a cooler period with alternating dry and wet phases. The entire harvest was carried out in a highly selective way: only hand-picked and hand-sorted grapes (excuding those that were good for eating) were allowed in our wine press and used for the wines.
At the beginning of November, the last grapes from the Steinmassel, Lamm, Spiegel, Heiligenstein and other vineyards were harvested with excellent quality. On January 6th, we were able to complete the vintage 2016 (+17! ) with two Eiswein (ice wine) harvests – Riesling and Muskateller. Due to changing weather conditions in the spring and summer, a lot of time and work was invested in the vineyards, which is why maximum grape quality was achieved. The wines of the vintage are characterized by very direct, linear fruit with grip and incredible freshness and vibrancy. With good cellar storage, we expect this vintage to have excellent ageing potential !
Date of harvest: October 27, 2016
