Grüner Veltliner Riede Braunsdorfer „Fuchs & Dachs“ 2018

Wine Description for Grüner Veltliner Riede Braunsdorfer „Fuchs & Dachs“ 2018 by HM Lang

Colour & Appearance

Medium straw yellow with brilliant clarity – a wine that already reveals its origins from cool high-altitude vineyards in the glass.

Nose

Here Grüner Veltliner shows its Burgundian side: highly elegant, subtle, seductively complex. White-fleshed fruit – ripe yet crisp – combines with grapefruit and lemon, alongside pear cream, a whisper of brioche and fine vanilla from the new Stockinger barrel. The varietal spice is wonderfully restrained, complemented by herbs, stone and an ethereal hint of mint. This is a wine that needs air – give it a large glass or decant it.

Palate

Creamy and melting in texture, yet simultaneously cool, vibrant and grippingly mineral – a fascinating dichotomy. Two years on the lees impart silky smoothness, whilst the acidity remains ripe and vital. The wine possesses body and power, yet remains in the best sense austere and sinewy – a quality rarely found in Grüner Veltliner. The first use of the wooden barrel is present, but perfectly integrated. With just 11.5% alcohol, this wine lacks nothing: it is both lean and complex, firm and energetic.

Finish

Long, mineral and precise – the cool elegance carries far and leaves a clear, stony aftertaste with fine spice.

Terroir & Origin

The Riede Steiner Braunsdorfer lies in a side valley of the Danube near Krems, a steep vineyard site on terraces with four to five metres of loess soil over bare rock. The 50-year-old vines at 250 metres altitude are farmed biodynamically, supplemented by a small proportion of 90-year-old vines. The name „Fuchs & Dachs“ refers to the animal inhabitants of the loess burrows in this vineyard site.

Grape Variety & Vinification

Extremely early harvest on 31st August – just 70 days after flowering – at physiological ripeness and pH 3.0. Two-day, reductive pressing on the 100-tonne wooden press, followed by deliberate oxidation. Spontaneous fermentation with 3-5% whole bunches for intercellular fermentation, two years ageing on full lees in the new Stockinger barrel at constant 9°C. Bottled unfiltered with pH 3.2.

Food Pairing Suggestions

Roasted white asparagus with egg yolk cream and lemongrass emulsion, karaage with Japanese mayonnaise, dim sum with pork and prawns and glass noodle salad with coriander – the wine loves Asian cuisine as much as refined vegetable dishes.

Special Characteristics

A radically distinctive Grüner Veltliner that reinterprets the variety without falsifying it. The combination of extremely early harvest timing, extended lees ageing and Burgundian elegance creates a wine that expands our understanding of Austrian Grüner Veltliner. A clear, bold concept from HM Lang.