Arndorfer, Rosa Marie 2019

From within one of the oldest, most globally recognized fine-wine regions of Austria, and from within two of the local winemaking families, emerge Martin and Anna Arndorfer of Weingut Arndorfer whose enterprise carries with it the legacy of Kamptal’s elegant and powerful Grüners & Rieslings though on markedly more modern, experimental, and – of course – natural terms. The Kamptal is a region of Austria within Lower Austria (Niederösterreich) and is, despite the name, in the northeast of the country. It is a region defined by river valleys and complex geologic fans of ancient volcanic deposits and a topsoil of decomposed loess. The main river of the region is the one after which it is named: the Kamp. Distinguishing the appellation into a kind of binary – though its gifts are manifold – west of the river is Langenlois and east of the river is Straß im Straßertale, the two principal wine-growing areas of the Kamptal river valley. In the latter, the Arndorfer wines stand out for their spiritual clarity – that is, their excellence exemplified by wines with bright acidity paired with some power  – in addition to their experimental devotion. It is our utmost privilege and pleasure to present to you these new wines of an old region, imbued with the kind of honesty we love nothing more than to spotlight.

Tasting: This is a skin-ferment rosé of Zweigelt grapes and Gruner skins from Weingut Arndorfer of Austria’s Kamptal region. On the nose, raspberry and strawberry mingle with thyme and rose. On the palate, red fruit and summer berries, zingy lemony acid. Seriously refreshing. Serve chilled. 

Vinification: 100% Zweigelt hand-harvested from 31 year-old vines grown in loess and gravel soils at 286-319ft elevation. The grapes macerate for 14 hours before pressing into stainless steel where they spontaneously ferment on crushed Gruner grape skins for 14 days. Élevage lasts 6 months (2/3 in stainless, 1/3 used French oak). Malolactc fermentation is achieved before bottling unfined, unfiltered with minimal SO2 added.