Arndorfer
Martin and Anna are the rarest of purists. They are iconoclasts – totally uncompromising in their methods- yet they eschew dogma in favor of open-mindedness and curiosity. Both Martin and Anna come from a long line of winemakers (Anna is from the Steininger family), and their travels before taking over Martin’s family winery were incredibly formative. This, paired with their already strong and creative personalities, caused them to break sharply with tradition when they came back home and forge their own path together. In a short amount of time, Arndorfer has become one of the brightest stars in the natural wine world and an icon of the next generation of Austrian winemakers.
Martin and Anna believe that a profound wine must be a pleasure to drink and a pleasure to make, and it shows in the wines. You can tell that they’re having fun. Their aim is to carry the “message from the vineyard” in its fullest form, and the path is minimalism in the cellar – meaning nothing added and nothing taken away. More specifically, this means no sulfur at crushing, no fining of the must, no adding yeast or even a pied de cuve , no stopping malo, no cold stabilization, the very gentlest if any filtering, and no additions beyond miniscule levels of sulfur added at bottling. Especially in Austria, a lot of producers consider this quite risky, but Martin & Anna aren’t concerned by this because they believe their wines develop their own microbial stability through a lack of manipulation.
As Anna and Martin eloquently put it “Because of our experience that nature is the strongest force, we love to work with her. Because the knowledge that the soil is the most intelligent thing we deal with, we‘ve decided to trust him. Because the beliefs that the plants nourish our soils, we let them grow. With these ideas and confidence, we don‘t interact in the cellar, which lets our wines transport the natural taste of the grape. These decisions we make by ourselves and let our personalities speak in our wines. We think that winemakers are artisans, or even artists. Their work requires creativity, sensitivity and an enormous amount of personality. Everything you would attribute to an artist….. We have made it our task to produce wines that unite origin and passion, wines that arouse curiosity in the wine world across the globe.
"Nature is the strongest force, we love to work with her. Because the knowledge that the soil is the most intelligent thing we deal with, we‘ve decided to trust him. Because the beliefs that the plants nourish our soils, we let them grow. With these ideas and confidence, we don‘t interact in the cellar, which lets our wines transport the natural taste of the grape. These decisions we make by ourselves and let our personalities speak in our wines. We think that winemakers are artisans, or even artists. Their work requires creativity, sensitivity and an enormous amount of personality. Everything you would attribute to an artist….. We have made it our task to produce wines that unite origin and passion, wines that arouse curiosity in the wine world across the globe." - Anna and Martin Arndorfer
Wines
Anina Verde (skin-ferment white) Kamptal
Varietal: Gruner Veltliner, Riesling
Color: White
Farming Practice: Certified Organic
Certified Organic. Grapes: Gruner Veltliner. Skins: Riesling. The Gruner Veltliner is from Strasser Stangle – planted 1992 on loess soils at 270 m altitude. Riesling skins are from Strasser Gaisberg planted 1986 on primary rock with a little layer of loess at 274 m altitude. Gruner fermentation happens with native yeasts and the skins of Riesling are added for 10 days to the fermenting Gruner Veltliner juice to gain more fruit expression and complexity. And to make things as hands-on as possible, all of the skins are hand destemmed. After the Riesling grapes are pressed whole cluster, they take the pressed bunches out and separate the skins from the stems (this is insanely laborious). Aged for 4 months in two-thirds stainless steel and the rest in used French oak (228 liters of 4-12 years old). Naturally occurring malo. 8 mg/l sulfur added before bottling. No fining, no filtration, just handled by gravity. Approx 250 cs produced. The Anina Verde was the first of three experimental natural wines made by Martin (named after his three daughters) as a way for him to continue learning and pushing the limits of his winemaking abilities.
Chardonnay Neuberger “Die Leidenschaft” Kamptal
Varietal: Chardonnay, Neuburger
Color: White
Farming Practice: Certified Organic
Certified Organic. 100% Neuburger from 3 different vineyards. Strasser Gaisberg, planted 1982, on primary rock (Gföhler Gneis), at 328 m altitude, one terrace on Zöbinger Gaisberg, planted 1988 on primary rock (Gföhler Gneis) at 319 m (grapes used for the skin macerated portion), and Strasser Bleckenweg, planted 1960, on pure gravel at 281 m altitude. The grapes were macerated for 8 to 18 hours before pressing. Fermented with native yeast and aged for 10 months, partly in used French oak on full lees and partly in stainless steel barrels. Barrels are between 1200-1900 liters and between 2-30 years old. Naturally occurring malo. Sulfur added once (max 20 mg/l) – just before bottling no fining, smart filtered once (a fine metal mesh to catch large solids). Strass has a very special microclimate because it has the first south faced slopes near the flat of the Danube. It‘s a unique combination of the very old mother rock of the Bohemian Massive and the particular influence of the Pannonian climate. Strasser Weinberge is a protected name for “village wines“ which show you all characteristics of the variety and the village. Grapes are selected from the best vineyard sides in the village and express the diversity and complexity of the origin. Martin describes Neuburger as elegant but expressive, with earthy and nutty aromas, long and persistent palate and in their case very salty due to primary rock and zero botrytis (as a grape it’s very vulnerable to botrytis owing to its tight clusters). Plantings of the grape have decreased significantly in the past 20 years in Austria due to the challenges of producing great wines (it’s easier for most growers to just plant some Gruner and call it a day) but Martin seems to be attracted to championing these “forgotten” grapes that play an important part in the tapestry and diversity of Austrian wines. It’s originally from the Wachau and genetic testing has shown it to be a crossing of Roter Veltliner and Sylvaner.
Gemischter Satz Terrassen “Terrassen 1958” Kamptal
Varietal: Neuburger, Grüner Veltliner, Riesling
Color: White
Farming Practice: Certified Organic
Certified Organic. Usually 60% Neuburger, 25% Gruner and 15% Riesling – a traditional field blend for this part of the Kamptal. Vineyard: Strasser Wechselberg – terraced vineyard at altitude 230-240 m. Planted in 1958 and soil is loess. All grapes were macerated 4 hours on skins before pressing. Whole bunch pressing, fermentation with native yeasts and aged for 10 months on the lees. 44 % in used French oak (228 liters and 10-12 years old) and 56 % in stainless steel barrels (75 gallons). Naturally occurring malo. No fining, just smart filtered once (a fine metal mesh to catch large solids). Sulfur added once (20mg/lt) – just before bottling. Approx. 75 cases produced annually. Martin is nothing if not quixotic and his pursuit of this vineyard and resulting wine reflect his vision and passion. He bought this parcel on the Wechselberg from an older farmed in 2005. Most of the terraces on this hill had been reworked and replanted (widened for tractors), but this little plot was the last piece with skinny terraces and old vines. He went to his father about buying the parcel (his dad still controlled the business’ money at the time), and his father said f*#k no. His objections were that it’s 100% handwork (no tractors) , the vines were “old” and they were going to need replanting in 20/30 years, and that it was just not good investment. To pile on and make it a multi-generational shaming, his grandfather said if Martin bought it, he was going to lie to his friends at the cafe in town and say he knows nothing about it. So, yeah of course Martin bought it. He used his own bit of personal savings and went 50/50 with his brother. And voila – stunning old vine Gemischter Satz completely worked by hand. His father and grandfather both love the wine now by the way.
Gruner Veltliner Strasser Weinberge Kamptal
Varietal: Gruner Veltliner
Color: White
Farming Practice: Certified Organic
Certified Organic. 100% Gruner Veltliner. Sourced from 4 different vineyards. Strasser Gaisberg on loess soil with primary rock subsoil, Strasser Wechselberg on heavy dark clay soil with high amount of chalk, Strasser Hasel on deep loess soil, and Strasser Stangl on deep loess soil. They are all south facing terraces with altitudes between 214-330 meters planted between 1959 and 2000. Whole punch pressing, no maceration before pressing. Fermented with native yeast and aged for 11 months mainly in large neutral barrels and partly in stainless steel (20%). Barrels are between 1200-1900 liters and between 2-30 years old. Naturally occurring malo. Sulfur added once (20 mg/lt.) – just before bottling no fining, smart filtered once (a fine metal mesh to catch large solids). Strasser Weinberge is a protected name for “village wines“ which show you all characteristics of the variety and the village. Grapes are selected from the best vineyard sides in the village and express the diversity and complexity of the origin.
Neuburger Strasser Weinberge Kamptal
Varietal: Neuburger
Color: White
Farming Practice: Certified Organic
Certified Organic. 100% Neuburger from 3 different vineyards. Strasser Gaisberg, planted 1982, on primary rock (Gföhler Gneis), at 328 m altitude, one terrace on Zöbinger Gaisberg, planted 1988 on primary rock (Gföhler Gneis) at 319 m (grapes used for the skin macerated portion), and Strasser Bleckenweg, planted 1960, on pure gravel at 281 m altitude. The grapes were macerated for 8 to 18 hours before pressing. Fermented with native yeast and aged for 10 months, partly in used French oak on full lees and partly in stainless steel barrels. Barrels are between 1200-1900 liters and between 2-30 years old. Naturally occurring malo. Sulfur added once (max 20 mg/l) – just before bottling no fining, smart filtered once (a fine metal mesh to catch large solids). Strasser Weinberge is a protected name for “village wines“ which show you all characteristics of the variety and the village. Grapes are selected from the best vineyard sides in the village and express the diversity and complexity of the origin. Martin describes Neuburger as elegant but expressive, with earthy and nutty aromas, long and persistent palate and in their case very salty due to primary rock and zero botrytis (as a grape it’s very vulnerable to botrytis owing to its tight clusters). Plantings of the grape have decreased significantly in the past 20 years in Austria due to the challenges of producing great wines (it’s easier for most growers to just plant some Gruner and call it a day) but Martin seems to be attracted to championing these “forgotten” grapes that play an important part in the tapestry and diversity of Austrian wines. It’s originally from the Wachau and genetic testing has shown it to be a crossing of Roter Veltliner and Sylvaner.
Riesling Strasser Weinberge Kamptal
Varietal: Riesling
Color: White
Farming Practice: Certified Organic
Certified Organic. 100% Riesling. Sourced from 3 vineyards. Kammerner Gaisberg on primary rock (Gföhler Gneis), Zöbinger Gaisberg on primary rock (Gföhler Gneis), and Strasser Wechselberg Spiegel on primary rock (granite). Vineyards are at altitudes between 230-360 meters planted between 1986 and 2010. Whole punch pressing, maceration up to 12 hours on skins before pressing. Fermentation with native yeasts and aged for 10 months mainly in large neutral barrels and partly in stainless steel barrels (20%). Barrels are between 1200-1900 liters and between 2-30 years old. Naturally occurring malo. Sulfur added once (max 20 mg/l)- just before bottling. No fining, smart filtered once (a fine metal mesh to catch large solids). Strasser Weinberge is a protected name for “village wines“ which show you all characteristics of the variety and the village. Grapes are selected from the best vineyard sides in the village and express the diversity and complexity of the origin.
Rosa Marie (skin-ferment rose) Kamptal
Varietal: Zweigelt, Gruner Veltliner
Color: Rose
Farming Practice: Certified Organic
Certified Organic. Grapes: Zweigelt. Skins: Gruner Veltliner. The Zweigelt is from Strasser Gautscher (planted in 1989) on loess with gravel at 286-319 m altitude. Gruner Veltliner skins are from Strasser Hasel on loess at 251 m. Zweigelt was macerated for up to 14 hours on skins before direct pressing. Fermented with native yeasts on crushed Grüner Veltliner grapes for 14 days in stainless steel. During fermenting, the Gruner skins lend spiciness and complexity to the fruit aromas of the Zweigelt. And to make things as hands-on as possible, all of the skins are hand destemmed. After the Gruner grapes are pressed whole cluster, they take the pressed bunches out and separate the skins from the stems (this is insanely laborious). Aged for 6 months in two-thirds stainless steel and the rest in used French oak (228 liters of 4-12 years old). Naturally occurring malo. Bottled by gravity with no fining, no filtration. Only 8 mg SO2 added right before bottling. Approx 333 cs produced. The Rosa Marie was the second of three experimental natural wines made by Martin (named after his three daughters) as a way for him to continue learning and pushing the limits of his winemaking abilities.
Roter Veltliner “Terrassen 1979” Kamptal
Varietal: Roter Veltliner
Color: White
Farming Practice: Certified Organic
Certified Organic. 100% Roter Veltliner. Sourced from a vineyard Zöbinger Gaisberg – south-facing terraced vineyards planted in 1979 on pure primary rock (Gföhler Gneis) altitude between 317 – 323m. Maceration up to 12 hours on skins before pressing. Fermentation with native yeasts aged for 10 months on the lees 44 % in 228 liter used French oak (4-8 years old), 56 % in 75 gallon stainless steel barrels. Naturally occurring malo. No fining, just smart filtered once (a fine metal mesh to catch large solids). Sulfur added once (max 20 mg/l)- just before bottling. Roter Veltiner (which bears little in common with Gruner) is a vigorous grape, late-ripening grape that requires poor soils to limit its yields. When it is planted in just the right spot, it can produce truly spectacular wines with surprising weight that age extremely well. And rarely does it get to inhabit such hallowed terroir as the upper altitudes of the famed Gaisberg vineyard (an erste lage site) where one will generally find just Riesling. It would be a bit like finding some Aligote in Perrieres or Dolcetto in Cannubi). Martin purchased this site, against the advice of his father, in 2010, specifically because of the old vine Roter and the chance to make a benchmark expression of the grape. Roter a labor of love that doesn’t make a lot of financial sense, but in the hands of Martin & Anna one can see why it’s worth pursuing.