Alwin Jurtschitsch is the best young producer in Austria. In a tasting, Jurtschitsch's wines blew us away. His Rieslings from Loiserberg and Heiligenstein are penetrating, lasting, and intense. Thrilling in their edge and precision, they vibrate on the tongue and sides of the mouth. The Heiligenstein Riesling is a showstopper, but we have to call out the brilliant Grüner Veltliners at this estate, too. —Rajat Parr, Atlas of Taste
...strikingly delicious, complex, and compulsively drinkable. —David Schildknecht
This Article Contains |
People |
Alwin Jurtschitsch & Stephanie Hasselbach (of the Gunderloch family)
Country |
Austria
Region |
Vineyards |
Heiligenstein:
Most famous site in Kamptal and one of the great vineyards of Austria. This terraced hill is an outcropping of 270 million year old unique formation of red sandstone and conglomerate with volcanic permian rocks. Superb Riesling is to be found here. Some plots are up to 60 years old.
Käferberg:
The soils are variable, with different underlying bedrock: within a small area one can find crystalline rocks such as amphibolite, gneiss, and mica schist, alternating with much younger clay marl, sands, and rare gravels that were deposited in the ancient Paratethys Sea 16 million years ago.
Lamm:
Southeast of the Heiligenstein vineyard is the Ried Lamm. The deep loess-loam formation is interspersed with volcanic rock with a distinctive silt component. Grüner Veltliner finds ideal conditions on these deep, south-facing loess-loam terraces, to produce a particularly complex and expressive wine.
Schenkenbichl:
Loiserberg:
Steinmassel:
Focus |
The old-style of classic Kamptal and its vineyards, from before the rise of Parker points and alcohol levels.
Farming |
- Conversion started in 2006.
- Replanting happens more densely.
- Whey instead of copper sulfate for mildew.
- Experimenting with new pruning methods
Grape Varieties |
Riesling, Grüner Veltliner, Zweigelt, Pinot Noir, Sankt Laurent, Weissburgunder, Gelber Muskateller
Cellar work |
- Spontaneous fermentation
- Stay out of the say so the site can speak for itself.
- Entry level wines made in stainless steel tanks
- Single vineyard are in old, large fuder (oak barrel)
- Minimal sulfur at bottling
About the winery |
After tasting through at least 50 producers and over 300 wines at last year’s vieVinum wine fair in Austria, I can unequivocally say that Jurtschitsch is one of Austria's greatest wine estates. If you already appreciate the wines of Hirsch, Bründlmayer, Knoll, Alzinger, Bernhard Ott, Prager, and the rest of Austria's elite forces, but haven’t stumbled on Jurtschitsch, you, my friend, are missing out. And if you don't know anything about Austrian wines or those names I just mentioned, then this is the perfect place to start.
Vanguards of the natural wine scene in the Kamptal, an Austrian region known for elegant and aromatic wines. The young couple took over Alwin’s family estate, the oldest in the Kamptal with a cellar dating back 700 years, in 2006. They are committed to protecting the biodiversity of the forests around them. Eschewing chemicals in the vineyard (even copper-sulfate), employing cover crops and compost, their vineyards are home to copious flora and fauna.
All of that would be for naught if they didn’t also produce some of the most elegant, traditionally-classic wines in the region.
What do the wines taste like? |
Rieslings, especially, are high acid, elegant and aromatic and still so fairly priced. These are hands down some of the best wines you will find anywhere.
That isn’t to say you should ignore their chiseled Grüner Veltliner, in a country filled with GV, there’s is not to miss. Neither should you pass on their fresh rosés, delicious bubbles, or juicy reds. All these are wines of finesse, achieved by a perfect balance between just-ripe fruit and thrilling acidity levels.