Ried Lamm Grüner Veltliner 2018

The vineyard site “Lamm” is one of Austria’s great historic premier crus and is located directly at the foot of the famous Heiligenstein vineyard. It stretches from east to south and is almost entirely planted with Grüner Veltliner. What makes this site truly unique is its soil: deep, calcareous loess, in some parts up to ten meters thick, lying above volcanic desert sandstone that dates back around 250 million years to the Permian period. The name “Lamm” is historically derived from “loam,” referring to the yellow clay soil. These deep soils, with their high calcareous content, allow the vines to grow harmoniously, ensuring a steady water supply and very even ripening.

In 2018, we experienced one of the longest summers in recent weather history, with temperatures reaching 30°C as early as April. The high temperatures and increasing dryness shaped the year, but there were no major incidents like frost or hail. Despite the challenges, we were rewarded with excellent quality and good grape yields. The winter started normally with rain and snow, but it became very cold at the end of February, which delayed the bud break. In April, the second warmest in 251 years, the vines began flowering by mid-May – nearly three weeks earlier than usual. On August 16th, we began harvesting the first grapes to create the base for sparkling wines. The high temperatures led us to harvest in the early mornings and transport the grapes in small crates. After three days of rain in early September, the harvest was paused to wait for the flavor of the berries to return. We carefully selected only the best grapes to enter the cellar. Perfect harvesting conditions with cool nights followed, which enhanced the aromatic profile of our Erste Lagen wines. We finished harvesting the Grüner Veltliner by the end of September, while the Riesling grapes at Heiligenstein ripened for another week. The last ten days of harvest were dedicated to the noble rot grapes for our sweet wines.

The Jurtschitsch winery, situated in Langenlois, is one of the most prestigious wineries in Austria which impeccably displays Austrian wine culture at its best. Alwin and Stefanie Jurtschitsch having been leading the family estate for some time now and have managed to reinterpret premium wine in their own way. For the two of them this means vinifying authentic, complex and terroir-specific wines with cool, elegant stylistics - in other words, permitting the different appellations in Langenlois to express themselves individually.