2020 Bernhard Ott Gruner Veltliner "Ried Spiegel" Erste Lage, Wagram, Austria

ABOUT THIS WINE:

This Gruner Veltliner was picked on well-ventilated terraces of loess on top of calcareous, iron-rich Danubian gravels. On the nose, yeast blends into the gentle woodland scent of moss, edged with just a little pepper. The palate is rounded, with a heightened sense of pepper on a very airy, smooth, almost ethereal body. Soaring towards the sky, this is fresh and bright, all reaching upwards. At once light-footed and sprightly yet profound, the entire wine is vivid with white pepper.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

The Ott family has been growing and producing wine in the region of Wagram in Lower Austria since 1889. Bernhard Ott is of the fourth generation and has managed the winery since 1993 when he took the helm from his father. Bernhard replaced the old wooden casks with stainless steel and began working the vineyards with an aim for the highest high quality. In 2018, nearly 30 years after taking over and switching all vinification and élevage to steel, Bernhard began working with varying sizes of Stockinger fuders.In 2004 Bernhard began composting, using organic cow manure from a friend in the region. In 2006 he committed to move to biodynamic viticulture. Thus, a year later along  with Johannes Hirsch, Fred Loimer, and a group of like-minded producers, Respekt was formed. 

Today, Bernhard is looking back to previous generations for inspiration and to inform both his work in the vineyard and in the cellar. Grapes are picked at full ripeness, but thanks to biodynamic farming and composting, the sugar ripeness stays very moderate. In addition to working the soils with compost, Bernhard is a firm believer in not disrupting the eco-system under the soils too much, preferring to plowing only 8cm deep. Harvest is done 100% by hand, something that is very important to note in a region who’s rolling hills and flatter landscape allow for machine harvesting. After picking and a strict selection, the fruit is crushed in the press and maceration is done inside the press. The length of the maceration depends on the vintage, but also on the vineyard and the quality of the fruit. Bernhard uses closed pneumatic presses and has several different sizes. The juice is “browned” and racked into stainless steel or Stockinger fuder where it is fermented by native yeasts without temperature control. Minimal amounts of sulfur are used at harvest and bottling and the cellar is very cold, inhibiting the development of malolactic.

The single vineyard wines from the three Erste Lagen –  Rosenberg, Spiegel, and Stein – are on the full less until June or July before racking and bottling. The resulting wines are some of the very finest in Austria, straddling a juicy character with strong soil signatures.