Bottler: HM Lang,Steinspreng 6, A-3500 Stein/Donau / Austria
In the glass
Colour
Medium straw yellow.
Nose
Reserved and highly refined: lanolin, delicate lemon curd, cassis, crisp apple, mirabelle plums and herbs – gains significantly with decanting and a large glass.
Palate
Lively and demanding, with spice notes of ginger, turmeric and pepper; vibrant acidity, chalky texture, and a saline, long and elegant finish.
Character
A poised, bright and clear Veltliner with Chablis- or Sancerre-like tension – less fruit, but more herbal spice, depth and energy.
Pairing
Asparagus rösti with a fried egg, Meyer lemon-cured black cod on mashed potato, or halibut with chamomile beurre blanc.
Notes
Earliest harvest at pH 3.0 from the terraces of the Steiner Schreck (Gföhl gneiss and granite), two-day pressing on the self-built 100-tonne wooden press, spontaneous fermentation and over two years on full lees in a large Stockinger wooden cask – bottled unfiltered, minimally sulphured.
Tasting note
Colour & appearance
Medium straw yellow, clear and calm in the glass – a wine that does not impose itself, but waits.
Nose
Initially closed, almost shy – a carafe and a large glass are essential here. Then a finely structured aromatic profile opens up: lanolin, a hint of lemon curd, along with cassis, crisp apple, mirabelle plums and fresh herbs. Not a loudspeaker, but a whisperer with depth.
Palate
On the palate the wine awakens: ginger, turmeric and pepper meet an acid drive that is downright unheard of for Grüner Veltliner – a vibrant bite otherwise familiar from taut Chablis or Sancerre. The texture is chalky, more limestone than schist, the finish salty and long. Brightness and clarity combined with depth – a rare combination.
Finish
Long, salty, of great elegance; the herbal spice and the chalky minerality linger distinctly on the aftertaste.
Terroir & origin
The Steiner Schreck vineyard site in Krems is very steep; the vines are rooted on narrow terraces of Gföhl gneiss and granite at around 320 metres above sea level. The roots are about 100 years old and are farmed according to Demeter certification, while the canopy rises 2.4 metres high. Demeter pioneer Markus Lang, formerly an Airbus engineer, and his wife Heideline make their wines in a bomb-proof tunnel deep within the gneiss at a constant 9 °C.
Grape variety & vinification
Grüner Veltliner, harvested as early as 22 August 2018 at a pH of 3.0 – physiologically ripe, yet with only 11.5% alcohol. Pressed reductively over two days on their self-built 100-tonne wooden press, then deliberate browning of the juice, spontaneous fermentation (supported by a few destemmed grapes undergoing intracellular fermentation) and over two years of ageing on full lees in a large Stockinger wooden cask. Bottled unfiltered in November 2020, minimally sulphured.
Food recommendations
The acid-driven structure calls for substance on the plate: asparagus rösti with a fried egg, black cod cured with Meyer lemons on creamy mashed potato, or halibut with chamomile beurre blanc and roasted mirabelle plums.
Special features
The name is no pose: “Dritter Akt” refers to the estate’s only Veltliner still aged entirely in large wooden casks. The result is a Veltliner that shows more herbal spice than fruit and displays an acidic tension rarely associated with this variety. A wine for the patient – those who decant it and give it time will experience one of the most idiosyncratic Grüner Veltliners of the Kremstal.
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