Heidi Schröck Junge Löwen 2019  £16.95

HEIDI SCHRÖCK JUNGE LÖWEN

Heidi Schröck took over her family’s 10 hectare estate in 1983, in the famous village of Rust, Burgenland, just five miles from the Hungarian border. Her south-east facing vineyards along the western banks of Lake Neusiedl form a semi-amphitheatre, which provides considerably more sunlight hours compared to the rest of Austria. The soils here are sandy with clay, gravel, grey quartz and schist. With help from her twin sons, Johannes and Georg, Heidi sustainably cultivates the classic Austrian varieties, Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch and St Laurent, as well as pioneering the revival of traditional varieties, such as Furmint, better known today across the Hungarian border.

The fruit for the Junge Löwen was sourced from the `Ruster` vineyard, which lies on the top of the hill surrounding Lake Neusiedl, facing eastwards. The soil is sandy loam with mica schist and gneiss. The vines are trained in the guyot simple method. Viticulture is done sustainably, without the use of herbicides or insecticides and the growth of local plants as cover crop is encouraged.

The grapes are hand-harvested and quickly transported to the winery where the fruit is destemmed and transferred into stainless steel tanks. Fermentation lasts for approximately three weeks, with gentle pump-overs twice a day. After pressing, the wine is filled into large old oak barrels (up to 60 years old) where it underwent malolactic fermentation. Following one final racking and a gentle filtration the wine is bottled just before the next vintage.

‘Junge Löwen’ is ruby red in colour, with aromas of raspberries, violets and beautiful minerality resembling the schisty soils where the fruit is grown. This medium-bodied wine has a lovely vibrancy, smooth tannins and an elegant finish.