{"product_id":"hirsch-hirschvergnugen-gruner-veltliner-kamptal-austria-2024","title":"Hirsch, 'Hirschvergnügen' Grüner Veltliner, Kamptal, Austria, 2024","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eOverview of the Wine\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eIf wines reflect the winemaker, Johannes Hirsch’s collection of Rieslings and Grüner Veltliners are full of energy and vitality. Johannes’ father started farming organically in the 1970’s and in 2006 Johannes was one of the founding members of Respekt – a new biodynamic certification started as an alternative to Demeter, which was then the only certification. Respekt has branched out from Austria and now covers “German speaking areas” including Germany and Northern Italy. Respekt is an independent organization and takes a holistic view to biodynamics; the charter that members sign onto is a set of criteria which is certified twice per year by Lacon – it is not a “certification by way of an honor system” as some naysayers have suggested.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the vineyard Hirsch uses biodynamic preparations and follows the lunar cycle for vineyard work. 85% of his holdings are in the slopes in the villages of Zöbing and Kammern, home to the Heiligenstein and Gaisberg Riesling vineyards as well as Lamm, Grub, Renner and Kammerner Gaisberg for Grüner Veltliner, though he is quick to note that “the grape variety is just a way to transport terroir. One hundred years ago, you might just find the village name on the label or the vineyard and no mention of the variety; it was not so important.”  A full two thirds of his holdings are in classified, Erste Lagen vineyards.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn addition to biodynamic practices, Hirsch utilizes soft pruning, a method he learned in Alto Adige to minimize the amount of cuts and thus lessening the amount of tissue exposed to disease and old wood near the pruned area. In the vineyards, manure from celebrated cheese maker Robert Paget’s water buffalo and goats, grazing in the pastures in front of the vineyards, are used.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt harvest, a rigorous selection is made in the vineyard and clean grapes harvested by hand, without botrytis are placed in small bins. The winery is located in Kammern, a short distance from the vineyards, so the fruit is pressed a very short time after it’s picked. Yields here are very low, especially for the single vineyard wines, which are between 35 and 40 hectoliters per hectare. Grapes are always whole cluster pressed without crushing. ‘Hannes favors a long pressing rather than a short one, echoing fellow respect member Bernhard Ott’s feeling that the stems are “part of the wine too”.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe basic wines and and village wines are normally fermented and matured in stainless steel while the Erste Lage wines are done in a mixture of steel and oak, depending on the vintage. In a warmer vintage, for example, more stainless steel may be employed.  Fermentations are done with ambient yeasts and always without temperature control.  “One of the plagues of modern wine is uniformity. Cooling is one of the worst things you can do, in this regard.” says ‘Hannes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHirsch doesn’t allow malolactic and avoids botrytis with a rigorous selection as he works with longer lees aging, though again, nothing is done by formula. “I like when we leave the wines on the lees until late Spring, racking the wines in June, for the first time. I also believe in maturation in the bottle – my wines need time for development and in 2002, when we switched entirely to screwcap (the first winery in Austria to do so by the way) we were already a year later than may of our neighbors in release. Now we are pushing two years” remarked Hirsch on a recent visit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGrape \/ Blend\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGruner Veltliner\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eKamptal, Austria\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWinemaker's Tasting Notes\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e2024 vegetation started very early. Tremendous frost towards the end of April\u003cbr\u003ehit the vineyards close to the Kamp River near the foot of the hills worse than\u003cbr\u003ewe can ever remember.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter a warm summer we did start to pick very early, interrupted by the heavy\u003cbr\u003erainfalls in the middle of September.\u003cbr\u003eLuckily the grapes stayed very healthy and we could finish the smallest harvest\u003cbr\u003eever with fantastic results.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e93 Points - Falstaff\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCaptured sunshine in a glass. Juicy yellow apple, followed by chamomile, lemon\u003cbr\u003ebalm \u0026amp; white raspberry – a walk through grandmother´s early summer herb\u003cbr\u003egarden. The first sip is light-footed, yet flattering on the palate.\u003cbr\u003eThis is followed by apple core, fresh almonds – finely interwoven tannins that\u003cbr\u003eensure immense drinking flow and pleasure!\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProduct size: 750ml\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Skurnik","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54894915813681,"sku":null,"price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0275\/0441\/0666\/files\/Hirsch_Hirschvergnugen_GrunerVeltliner_Kamptal_Austria_2024.jpg?v=1782534023","url":"https:\/\/merchantofwine.com\/products\/hirsch-hirschvergnugen-gruner-veltliner-kamptal-austria-2024","provider":"Merchant of Wine","version":"1.0","type":"link"}