NV Weingut Brundlmayer Sekt Brut Rosé, Kamptal, Austria

ABOUT THIS WINE:

Grapes are harvested between the first week of September and the second week of October. This sparkling wine is made of main red varieties Pinot Noir, Zweigelt and St Laurent. These grapes are sourced from different chalky parcels in our vineyards which lends the wine freshness and while most of the sites are southeast facing slopes, the wine also receives warmth. The harvested grapes are transported in small cases directly into the cellar, where they are very gently and carefully pressed. Only the heart of the must is used for the sparkling production.

The base wines of the individual grape varieties were vinified separately and went through malolactic fermentation. Subsequently, the cuvée was produced (with the somewhat more powerful charges of the Zweigelt used for the still rosé wine).

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER:

Willi Bründlmayer farms 90 hectares of Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, St. Laurent, Zweigelt and Burgundian varieties from an impressive collection of grand cru vineyards around Langenlois. In 2016 Andreas Wickhoff MW joined the estate and as general manager works alongside Willi in all aspects.

Some of the most geologically diverse terroirs in Europe are here, in the heart of the Kamptal. The Danube and Kamp rivers and the wooded hills of the Waldviertel forest create a climate with large diurnal temperature swings, essential to a long growing season. These rocky, terraced vineyards are not the steep, jagged terraces of the Kremstal or the Wachau; these are larger wider terraces, each creating its own micro climate. The most famous vineyards in the region are located in the village of Zöbing. This small village is home to a number of ‘Grand Cru’ (Erste Lagen) vineyards, including the Zöbinger Heiligenstein, composed of 250 million year old sandstone and the Lamm, at the base of the Heiligenstein, where loess fills fissures and cracks in the sandstone. Bründlmayer has holdings in other top vineyards in the area, including Käferberg, across the Kamp river valley from the Heiligenstein, with marine deposits over primary rock, as well as the Loiserberg and Steinmassel. Bründlmayer has a very high proportion of old vines, with many plantings over 50 years old, and a parcel in the Heiligenstein planted in the 1920s.

Willi has converted some (17ha in total) of his vineyards to the Lyre training system, which he helped develop. Vines are trained low to the ground, to benefit from the warmth of the primary rock soils, then the canes are trained at an angle upward and perpendicular to the row, which doubles the sunlit and aired foliage surface and improves grape ripeness. The well-aired leaves also dry faster, thus reducing the risk of dreaded grape mildew.

As of 2019, Bründlmayer is certified organic by LACON, an outside, objective, certifying body. During harvest, multiple selections through the vineyard are made, as botrytis is never accepted. Grapes are never de-stemmed or crushed, and they are handled as minimally as possible. A tiny portion of grapes are held back, de-stemmed, and macerated for 12 hours; Willi uses these as ‘seasoning’ during blending to add another dimension and tonality to the final wines.