Michael Gindl, "Michi's Farm" 2021

The largest specified winegrowing region in all of Austria has a fitting name. The Weinviertel region of northern Austria’s state of Lower Austria (confusing for the layman!) loosely translates to “Wine Quarter.” The place originally named after what it was good at – growing wine-quality grapes. Another name for this region is Viertel unter dem Manhartsberg, but that is a bit more of a mouthful and not necessarily helpful for the cheeky pun w/r/t introducing this winemaker, Michael Gindl. Though he is only 37 years old, Michael Gindl’s family farm goes back to the beginning of the 19th century – so, a young man is set amidst an old place. He’s been making wine on his family farm at the outskirts of an Oak forest in his childhood town of Hohenruppersdorf, a small village near the eastern extent of the Weinviertel, not so far from Slovakia and the March River. In any case, this winemaking region of northern Austria has historically produced the spicy Grüners that have achieved worldwide fame for its noble Austrian grape. Though to leave the ampelographic history of this place at that would miss the forest for the trees; yes, white-wine is the main product of both the Gindl estate and the Weinviertel writ large and yes, that white-wine is most often Grüner. But there is also plenty of gorgeous Riesling and Weissburgunder cultivated here. So: worth a mention, but suffice to say, Grüner’s generally the name of the game in Hohenruppersdorf. And for Michael Gindl’s approach to this long Grüner tradition, he utilizes extended lees contact in the cellar to mature the wines in barrels crafted from the oak trees of the forest that borders his vineyards. In this way, the wine is meant to reflect the ideology employed among the vines: biodiversity and biodynamics. Everything bakes one into the other. You’ll notice a particular affection on Michael’s part toward his animals, like his favorite cow Bessi, or any number of what he deems the vineyard’s guardian, the Buzzard (aka Buteo – what adorns your label!). These are enigmatic, brilliant wines from the Austrian ‘Wine Quarter’ cultivated by the family hands now going on two centuries in this exact same place – history hums within the bottle.

A bright & delicious new cuvée from one of our favorite Austrian winemakers, made from grapes previously used for another wine that you may remember, the Little Buteo. Gindl uses the same cépage, Gruner Veltliner, Gelber Muskateller & Riesling, but with a touch more skin contact this time around. Bottled unfined, unfiltered with no SO2.