Jancis Robinson refers to Bründlmayer as a “beacon for Austrian Wine” and Gault & Millau recently gave longtime winemaker Willi Bründlmayer a Lifetime Achievement Award for the global recognition he’s brought his region’s wines. Though the list of accolades for Bründlmayer goes on and on, I’ll add to it by saying this is among my favorite producers in the world, and today’s mineral-loaded, multi-textured Riesling hails from their greatest vineyard. 

Bründlmayer owns 12 hectares in the heart of the sprawling hillside Esrte Lage vineyard that is  Heiligenstein,” and its soils are rich with ancient sandstone that formed 250-300 million years ago. It’s also damn-hot here too: Back in the 1200s, the Zwettl Abbey referred to it as “Hellenstein” because the sun there “burns like hell.” Today, this special site is recognized by many as one of the world’s best for Riesling. 

This “Alte Reben” cuvée is Bründlmayer’s finest white wine and it’s a striking upgrade from their regular Heiligenstein bottling. It comes entirely from the estate’s oldest vines ranging from 50-75 years of age, and the difference in these low-yielding vines and super-concentrated crop can be distinctly tasted in the final product. Upon harvest, these sustainably farmed grapes are typically hand-picked in several passes to ensure optimal ripeness, and they undergo a cool, all-natural fermentation in stainless steel tanks. A brief maturation then occurs in these tanks, as well as large Austrian oak casks, until bottling the following summer.