Alzinger
Alzinger
This Article Contains |
People |
Leo & Katarina Alzinger
Focus |
Riesling & Grüner Veltliner in the Wachau that express the essence of their ancient steep, terraced vineyards. These are wines with very little in the way of fruit flavors and instead showcase purity, clarity and minerality.
Country |
Austria
Region |
Wachau
Village |
Durnstein
Climate |
Cool Continental
- Defined as very cold winters, hot, short, fairly rainy summers, with long, cool, dry autumns.
- Now: winters are usually not as cold, summers are much hotter, drought is a serious problem 4 or the last 5 years, autumns start later and are often much wetter than they used to be.
- Wachau is cooled by air coming down from the forest and along the Danube valley from the west. But warmth comes in from hot eastern gusts, which start to lose their power as they head down the valley.
- The Danube also acts as an HVAC, keeping temperatures along its bank more steady than elsewhere, with reflection from the river helping ripen fruit more.
- There is a big diurnal shift (difference between day and night temperatures) starting in the fall. This extends the growing season and gives Austrian wines their signature balance of freshness and ripeness, opulence and grace.
- Cool climate wines are high in acid, low in alcohol, light in body, and often show a lot of mineral flavors rather than fruit.
- Usually white wines are made, but some light reds, like Pinot Noir can also ripen well.
- Warmer vintages: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2015 produce wines with lower acidity, higher alcohols, and richer fruit flavors.
- Cooler vintages: 2021, 2013, 2010, 2008 produce what are now considered “classic” cool-climate wines.
Vineyards |
11.5 ha of mostly old vines on choice parcels
- Loibenberg: South facing and one of the warmest sites in the Wachau, deep loess on the lower terraces, and stony, shallow, baron soils on the top terraces.
- Steinertal: Very stony, shallow Gneiss soils, with some loess on the lower terraces. Cooler microclimate, very high acid, almost austere wines.
- Liebenberg: Amphibolite and mica-schist
Grape Varieties |
- Grüner Veltliner:
- A true Austrian treasure. Grüner is rarely planted outside of its home country, but is revered the world over.
- Mainly grown in the Lower Austrian region (Niederösterreich) with some vines in northernmost Burgenland, it holds 30% of the country’s vineyard area.
- Grüner is dynamic making it known for easily quaffable fresh and fruity wines. But, it just as easily becomes Austria’s most famous long-lived, mineral-laden beauties and some delicious sekt (wine made with bubbles).
- Wines from Grüner Veltliner have continuously taken top marks in blind tastings against Chardonnay from Burgundy and California, displaying a richness and concentration sans the oak barrels its competitors rely on.
- Its flavors range from stone fruit, fresh pear, lemon, green herbs, arugula, and spicy white or black pepper. The best versions can age for decades and develop complex notes of honey, toast, chutney and wax.
- Riesling
- The King of White Grapes
- You’ll find it on the peaks of high, rocky, steep vineyards in the Wachau, Kamptal and Kremstal.
- What they lack in vineyard area, these wines make up for in pure, clear, undeniable quality.
- The best examples show the beauty that can come from a perfect marriage: these wines bring the acidity of the Mosel, matched with the density of Alsacian Grand Crus, but are always dry and ready to age for decades.
- They often benefit from 5-10 years of bottle age, but your patience is greatly rewarded with a kaleidoscope of flavors and textures.
- Fruits span the rainbow depending on the site, style and vintage, from green melon, lime and herbs, yellow peaches and lemons, orange zest and marmalade, pink grapefruit, even a touch of cherry on occasion. But the real beauty lies in the non-fruit notes. Especially with age, you can get stony minerality, petrol, honey, toast, salt, marzipan and so much more.
Farming |
Conventional
- 1,200 hours’ work for every hectare
- Green space between vines for biodiversity
Cellar Work |
Traditional
- Later harvest, although low sugar ripeness
- Crush whole clusters
- Short maceration before pressing
- 24 hour sedimentation
- Age on lees till the following spring
- Mature in large, old wooden casks
About the winery |
Leo Alzinger is not just one of the great Wachau producers, he's one of the world's best producers of white wines. Vintage after vintage, Alzinger’s wines have the magical zip that gives his wines a sense of life — and remind us why the Wachau really is Austria's best region.
Alzinger's style is one of perfect balance. His methods preserve the cut of natural acidity and keep alcohol in check. Some winemakers achieve this by picking fruit early, before the increased sugar levels overpower its ratio, a technique that forces a grower to choose between the fully developed flavors that come with longer hang times, and the loss of freshness overripe fruit can bring.
But Alzinger has found another way. He doesn’t harvest early; in fact, he often harvests later than his neighbors. It's partly his terroir – much of it is on steep terraced vineyards, at high elevation and with strong air currents, and sites that don't necessarily get full sun, all day long. It's partly his old vines, which naturally control vigor and the accumulation of too much sugar too quickly. And it's partly his experience farming these precious vines in these storied sites since childhood.
Or maybe it’s his winemaking. With his perfectly ripe fruit he isn’t afraid of a little skin contact. He crushes whole bunches of fruit and allows for a short maceration which picks up extra flavor and structural elements from the skins. Post fermentation he employs big, neutral Stockinger barrels offering a peaceful place to rest and harmonize for an exquisite mouthfeel.
What do the wines taste like?
Air.
Transparent, sanguine, calm.