Riesling RSS "This is not a love song" Steingutamphore 2018

A Riesling of suspended lightness: 11% ABV, with salinity, herbal spice and palpable drive. The wine stays cool and bright throughout, as relaxed as a seasoned jazz musician yet full of energy.

The Riede Steiner Schreck lies around 320 metres above sea level and is one of the steepest sites in the Kremstal. The soil is defined by Gföhl gneiss and granite. Markus and Heideline Lang farm their 2.5 hectares in Stein an der Donau under demeter certification; the vines on these plots are 80 years old.

Harvested on 26 August at pH 2.8, earlier than ever before. Pressing took two days, extremely slow and fully reductive, on the self-designed 100-tonne basket press, after which the juice was deliberately allowed to brown. Spontaneous fermentation is repeatedly reignited by 3 to 5% whole, destemmed grapes fermenting intracellularly at a constant 9 °C in the cellar. Aged for over two years on full lees in a 550-litre Bordeaux-style stoneware amphora, which allows about as much oxygen exchange as a large wooden cask. Bottled in February 2021, unfiltered, lightly sulphured, at around pH 3.2.

Crystal-clear on the nose: lemon and grapefruit, crisp peach and pear, with verbena, anise and yeast emerging with air. The palate is slender and ethereal, the long lees ageing lending salinity and a silky texture, while the old vines contribute depth and minerality.

Vegetable tempura, bouchot mussels in pepper broth, or poached chicken with lime yoghurt over udon noodles in coconut curry.

The name comes from a song by the English post-punk band Public Image Ltd. Markus Lang built aircraft for 25 years before taking over the vineyard and cellar; the wine matures in a bomb-proof tunnel deep in the gneiss at 9 °C. Around 12,000 bottles a year, with the Demeter logo on the label.