The Blaufränkisch Alter Berg Leithaberg DAC 2019 from the Demeter-certified Weingut Heinrich hails from a limestone-rich vineyard site on the Leitha Mountains near Winden, showcasing the variety in its taut, profoundly mineral expression.
Bottler: Heinrich Winery, Baumgarten 60, A-7122 Gols / Austria
In the glass
Colour
Deep violet-red with a black core.
Nose
Black cherries, blackberries and blueberries, alongside sloe and jostaberries; with air, notes of leather, tobacco, wood smoke and liquorice emerge, underpinned by wild herbs and pronounced minerality.
Palate
Dry and powerful, with an invigorating yet polished tannin and acidity structure; the cherry and berry fruit remains present, while the minerality carries the long finish.
Character
Taut, spicy and complex – a serious red wine with excellent ageing potential rather than jammy fruit.
Pairing
Beef goulash, braised game or succulent grilled leg of lamb.
Notes
Biodynamic viticulture (Demeter, founding member of respekt-BIODYN), hand-harvested and spontaneously fermented, three weeks of maceration in amphora followed by 42 months of maturation in amphora and used 500-litre oak casks; fossils in the limestone soil of this southeast-facing slope shape its extraordinary minerality.
Tasting note
Colour & appearance
Deep violet-red, almost black at the core – even in the glass, it is clear that this Blaufränkisch is not for the faint-hearted.
Nose
A dark fruit symphony: black cherries, blackberries, blueberries, alongside sloe and jostaberry. With air, notes of leather, tobacco, wood smoke and liquorice emerge, underpinned by wild herbs and a profound, almost saline minerality – the scent of barren limestone, weathered from an ancient sea.
Palate
This wine makes its presence felt: invigorating acidity, finely polished tannins, cherry and berry fruit, all carried by that cool, fossil minerality which makes the Alter Berg so distinctive. Taut rather than opulent, with spice instead of jam – and with ageing potential for years to come.
Finish
Long, dark-fruited and spicy, with a mineral resonance that lingers between palate and memory for minutes afterwards.
Terroir & origin
The Alter Berg vineyard site in Winden lies on the southeast-facing slopes of the Leitha Mountains: cooled from above by forest, shimmering below with Lake Neusiedl, and dotted in between with towering cherry trees. The barren limestone soil is rich in fossils millions of years old – challenging sites such as these were acquired piece by piece by Gernot and Heike Heinrich when others had given up on them. Today, they farm one hundred hectares entirely according to biodynamic principles.
Grape variety & vinification
Pure Blaufränkisch, hand-harvested from mid to late September, spontaneously fermented and left on the skins in amphora for three weeks. After gentle pressing with a basket press, the wine matures for 42 months in amphora and used 500-litre oak casks. Demeter-certified, and a founding member of respekt-BIODYN – the Heinrichs do nothing by halves.
Food recommendations
Built for the grand table: braised leg of lamb, beef goulash, duck breast with dark berries, roast wild boar or grilled steaks. Also a compelling partner for mature hard cheese.
Special characteristics
Prolonged amphora ageing is rare for Blaufränkisch – yet here it yields something equally uncommon: power without heaviness, structure without hardness, a red wine that allows its origin to be sensed quite literally in the glass.
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