Grüner Veltliner Riede Steiner Schreck "Kalt und Klar" unfiltriert 2020

A cool, structured, and textural wine with 10.5% ABV. The total acidity of 8.4 g/l at a pH of 3.04 lends it an electrifying tension that carries through from the first sip to the finish. Time in the glass reveals a delicate underlying creaminess.

Riede Steiner Schreck slopes very steeply. The vines grow on small terraces four to five metres deep, dominated by Gföhl gneiss and granite. The root systems are 100 years old, the canopy reaches 2.4 metres, and the cultivation is Demeter-certified biodynamic.

Grüner Veltliner, harvested around 12 September 2020; the early harvest date accounts for the 10.5% ABV. Markus Lang pressed the grapes extremely slowly over two days on his custom-designed 100-tonne basket press. The pressing is carried out reductively, after which the juice is intentionally allowed to brown. Spontaneously fermented, incorporating 5 to 6% destemmed whole berries that undergo intercellular fermentation, repeatedly kick-starting the fermentation in the cellar at a constant 9 °C. Matured for two years on the full lees in amphora, and bottled unfiltered in March 2022 after 30 months.

Initially a touch of reduction that dissipates with air, followed by blossoms, garden herbs, crushed gravel, and salted plums. On the palate, cool and demanding with yellow and green citrus fruit, underpinned by vibrant acidity and minerality. Large glasses and several hours of aeration in the open bottle pay rich dividends.

Clams steamed in sake and dashi, small, firm oysters without lemon, lemon chicken with limequats and ginger.

Demeter-certified and unfiltered, sulphured only minimally in minute doses over several days. The cellar is a tunnel dug deep into the gneiss rock with a constant temperature of 9 °C.