Grapes: Blauer Wildbacher
Vineyard: Lestein. Steep slope with loamy Opok soil close to Franz’s house. Vines planted in the early 1980s, minimally pruned.
Making of: the grapes are hand-harvested, destemmed, and then spend 12 hours on skins. After soft pressing, the must ferments spontaneously (both primary and malolactic) in steel tanks and wooden barrels (50/50), for about 8 months. The wine is bottled with an addition of sugar and yeast for the second fermentation; after 36 months of maturation in bottles, the wine is disgorged and 15ppm SO2 is added. Zéro dosage.
Personality: fruity but also creamy and velvety – compared to the Schilcher Frizzante you can definitely see its prolonged maturation and deeper savory layers