Grüner Veltliner Riede Steiner Schreck "Kalt und Klar" unfiltriert 2019

Cool, clearly structured, and dense: this Grüner Veltliner feels intense and powerful, even though its 11.5% ABV makes it a true lightweight in terms of alcohol. The name "Kalt und Klar" (Cold and Clear) refers to the waters of the nearby Danube and the distinctive character of these unfiltered wines.

The Riede Steiner Schreck in Stein an der Donau is exceptionally steep. The vines grow on small terraces four to five metres deep, shaped by Gföhl gneiss and granite; the root systems are 100 years old. Markus and Heideline Lang cultivate the plot under Demeter certification, training the canopy to a height of 2.4 metres.

Single-varietal Grüner Veltliner, harvested on 4 September 2019. This early harvest date keeps the alcohol at a modest 11.5% ABV. Pressing took place extremely slowly over two days on a self-designed 100-tonne beam press under completely reductive conditions; afterwards, the juice was allowed to brown. Lang initiates the spontaneous fermentation with 3 to 5% destemmed grapes that undergo intracellular fermentation, kick-starting the process at a constant cellar temperature of 9 °C. Two years of ageing on the full lees in a 670-litre wooden cask, followed by bottling in March 2022 after 30 months, unfiltered and with minimal sulphur addition.

The nose is creamy and herbally spicy: lemon curd, preserved lemons, green plums, a touch of celery, alongside pepper, wet gravel, flint, and blonde tobacco. On the palate, it is generous and juicy, fresh and tonic, citrus-driven and bright, with notes of ripe pineapple, delicate oak, crushed stone, and pronounced salinity on the complex finish. It benefits greatly from air; several hours in an open bottle will only do it good.

Markus Lang designed aircraft for Airbus and the US Air Force for 25 years before inheriting a neglected vineyard; the beam press with 100 tonnes of pressure is entirely his own design. The cellar is situated in a bomb-proof tunnel carved deep into the gneiss at a constant 9 °C. 2.5 hectares, producing around 12,000 bottles per year.