Grüner Veltliner Elektra 2022

A white wine with edges: golden yellow, silky-matte haze, on the nose caught between yeast and pungent fermentation notes, finely oxidized stone fruit and fermented pepper. Alongside these, herbaceous, austere notes of hops, chervil and must, then floral touches again. A scent in constant flux.

The Elektra grows in the old Lindauer Veltliner vineyard in Jois. The extremely limestone-rich soil there produces distinctive wines with expressive minerality. Jois belongs to the cooler Leithaberg region, where half of the estate's 36 hectares are located; the other half lies around Gols on warmer steppe soil. The Nittnaus family has farmed its vineyards on the eastern shore of Lake Neusiedl since 1684.

Grüner Veltliner, hand-harvested, traditionally fermented in wooden barrels and aged for twelve months on full lees. The result is a contemporary reading of a variety increasingly exposed to heat: 12.5% vol., dry.

Taut entry, finely contouring phenolics, austere aromatic framing. Good grip with invigorating astringency and a stimulating bitter note, from the apple the core notes, pips and skin rather than lush juice. Silky-matte to hammered, with a brisk, drinkable flow.

Yellow beet carpaccio with goat cheese and salted almonds, grilled fish with cucumber salad or spicy Moorish-style grilled chicken skewers.

The estate has farmed biodynamically since 2007: cover crops between the vine rows, compost instead of artificial fertilizer, spontaneous fermentation. "We don't make the wine, we accompany it," says Hans Nittnaus.