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Type of Wine: White Wine
Country: Austria
Region: Kremstal
Producer: Geyerhof
Alcohol Percentage: 13%
Viticulture: Biodynamic | Certified Organic | Vegan Friendly | Natural Wine
Climate: Continental climate characterized by cold winters, hot dry summers, and often a large diurnal temperature flux with hot days, and cold nights
Terroir: From time immemorial, the villagers have been strolling past this old vineyard site on their way to church on Sundays. It is, therefore, no secret how this vineyard received its name – “Kirchensteig” signifies “the path to church”. Much like in the Steinleithn site, the vines are anchored in a thin layer of topsoil with very poor granulite soils beneath. This is precisely where Riesling can unfurl its full potential and where we can expect great things. The winery is rewarded with taut and elegant wines full of finesse, fine peach notes, herbaceous spice and an excellent ageing potential every year. It is with good reason that Kirchensteig is known as one of the best sites on the southern side of the Danube.
Ageing: Hand-harvested at the end of October in small boxes, whole bunch pressing, slow fermentation in stainless steel tanks, extended period on the full lees for 20 months, bottling in May
Colour: Gold
Palate:Elegant, juicy, mandarin and lime, good minerality, fresh acidity, excellent ageing potential
Awards: 94 Wine Enthusiast Points (2017)
About the Winery:
The history of the old estate began almost 800 years ago, in the little village of Oberfucha in Kremstal, Lower Austria. Here, winemaking has been part of the family’s life for more than 14 generations, an occupation deeply rooted in the landscape. Today, as well as in the past, arable land, hedgerows, cattle, pigs, chickens and bees complete their idea of holistic farming. Vineyards cover 19 hectares in Kremstal with plots in Gaisberg, Golberg, Hoher Rain, Johannisberg, Kirchensteig, Sprinzenberg and Steinleithn. The winery strongly advocates diversity over monoculture, with the belief that their vines are a smaller part of a larger whole. The Geyerhof team spends over 5000 hours pruning, trellising and working on the rootstocks and canopies each year. They only hand-harvest with an emphasis on organic viticulture. Only by giving nature a place in and around the vineyard, are they able to receive back the best nature has to offer.
Over 13% of their land consists of hedges and nature conservation areas. Diverse cover crops with numerous wild herbs offer an additional habitat for a multitude of useful insects in our vineyards. The ecological interplay renders the use of insecticides unnecessary, reinforces the resilience of the vines and promotes healthy soil life. In the cellar, Geyerhof’s main goal is to safeguard the level of quality created in the vineyard and to maintain the individuality of the wines through a purposeful “low-intervention” approach. Staying well clear of “magical” enzymes, fining agents and specially cultured yeasts, they try to make do with the absolute minimum of interventions and technology. The hygienic advantages of modern cellar technology in the form of stainless steel tanks, steam cleaners and renewable energy from solar panels are part of the winery’s modern approach – giving birth to wines with individuality and longevity.