Destined for great things
07. November 2011 | 09:00
The harvest is drawing to a close in our winery and we are now picking the grapes for the reserve wines of the vineyards Lamm, Käferberg, and Heiligenstein. Our son Vincent brings in his very first harvest of his Grüner Veltliner Spiegel.
The vintage continues a tradition of exceptionally ripe years: 2006, 2003, 1997, 1992, 1983, 1971, 1959...
These vintages were often criticized early on for their low acidity and their broad character, but in reality they constitute some of the greatest we have ever made.
A Riesling Heiligenstein 1959 with only 5g/litre acidity (!) showed excellently during a recent vertical tasting.
Not only acidity keeps a wine fresh – it is an interplay between hundreds, perhaps thousands of components which brings happy results when the grapes are mature and have spent a long time on the vine.
Grapes which were harvested late but were still unripe as well as grapes which were picked too early yield unsatisfying results. The goal is always to create outstanding wines able to enthuse people.
A long drawn-out manual harvest makes it possible to create a spectrum comprising everything from simple, cheerful and light wines up to highly complex, demanding ones.
We will celebrate our harvest end dinner in a spirit of gratefulness in view of the wonderful grapes of the 2011 vintage.
Usually, the quality of a vintage can be won only in the vineyard and lost in the cellar. The wonderful grapes appear to justify the highest hopes, which will be realized only due to careful and gentle work in the cellar. The transformation of grapes into wine is an almost magical process, requiring the greatest care.
We are highly optimistic and expect great wines to emerge from the 2011 harvest.
Willi und Edwige Bründlmayer
