Salzberg 2016

Structure over power. The Salzberg 2016 relies on tension and spice, not on fullness: Blaufränkisch provides the cool, taut line, Merlot fills out the middle. Upfront come blackberry and black cherry, followed by black pepper and a dry herbal note. A red wine that demands attention and rewards it.

The Heinrich winery is based in Gols on Lake Neusiedl in Burgenland. Gernot and Heike Heinrich did not inherit their hundred hectares but bought them parcel by parcel, often the steep, stony sites others had given up on: cool limestone slopes on the Leitha Hills, gravel and red shale on the Parndorf Plateau. Since 2006 the entire estate has been farmed biodynamically.

Blaufränkisch and Merlot, vinified dry, 13.5% Vol. In the cellar, gravity rules — nothing is pumped. For the house's classics, wood remains indispensable: large barrels from regional cooper Klaus Pauscha, made from used wood that lets the wine breathe rather than perfuming it.

Taut acidity carries the wine from start to finish, the tannin is fine-grained and well integrated. The fruit stays dark and concentrated, the finish spicy and long. The 2016 vintage drinks beautifully now, but has the substance for further years in the cellar.

With braised leg of lamb with rosemary, beef fillet with dark jus or roast wild boar with cranberries. Equally good with mature hard cheese and a hearty mushroom risotto.

Demeter-certified since 2017. In 2009 the Heinrichs were among the founders of respekt-BIODYN, one of Austria's strictest biodynamic certifications.