Ewald Gruber - Visions from the Wineviertel

Category: Winery Ewald Gruber, May 2011

Ewald about the challenges faced with the 2010 vintage:
“We have 35 – 40 percent lower yield compared to a normal year. But it was not generally bad, as some vineyards provided a normal crop; yet in others we lost the entire harvest. We had to follow a strict canopy management to create a permeable foliage. It was necessary to follow precise plant protection measures, and to be quick in removing imperfect or spoiled grapes. Our patience was really tested during the autumn as we really had to wait for optimal ripeness and the best moment to pick. Wines from the 2010 vintage will reveal those who had their vines under control and who hadn’t. There are some really wonderful wines, but also really bad ones.”

Single Vineyard Wines – the flagship wines from the oldest vines, powerful with ageing potential

2010 Weinviertel DAC Reserve Grüner Veltliner Mühlpoint Alte Reben
Tobacco and nougat in the nose, coupled with white pepper and pink grapefruit. Crystal clear, elegant mineral characters over delicate citrus fruit and structured acidity. Complex and concise style, with 13% alcohol by volume, that is remarkably delicate for such an aromatic wine.

2009 Sauvignon Blanc Reserve
This wine was only made in 2009. 30% matured in small oak barrels. Full and fiery, overtly baroque style. Attractive juicy fruit characters, smooth and gripping structure. Integrated spice, powerful with enticing acidity.

2008 Cuvée Royale Premium
85% Zweigelt, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. 15 months aged in new French oak barrels. Juicy dark fruit, slightly toasty. Lively, develops in the glass, needs air. Appealing drinking pleasure with elegance, delicate spice, very long lasting.

 

Selektion – single vineyard wines, medium bodied with structure and finesse

2010 Weinviertel DAC Grüner Veltliner Terrasse Reipersberg
Aromas of pear and orange blossom. First impression: vibrant and fruit-driven, followed by juicy sweetness and a long aftertaste.
“This wine gets very good in each single year without a lot of intervening. I guess it is result of granite rock soil and our 40 year old plus vines, that makes it so reliable.”

2010 Grüner Veltliner Hundspoint
Extreme mineral character, though Hundspoint consists of pure loess soil. Displays similar characters to wines grown on iron-rich soils. Compact, still quite restrained at the moment. Polished mineral characters, tobacco, pink grapefruit. Great potential.

2010 Riesling Königsberg
Lime, lemon balm, also a hint of cigar. Clear, cool fruit characters with peach, pineapple and citrus lime. Delicate melting, long lingering, full-bodied and enticing style. A top-Riesling with a bright future.
“The grapes for this wine have been absolutely healthy when we picked them on November 10th. After fermentation I wasn’t too happy with this wine, because it showed no fruit at all. But now I like it very much. Riesling from granite soils always needs time to unfold.”

2009 Chardonnay Hinterholz
20% fermented in small oak barrels. Hazelnut, pistachios, lime-tree blossom and nougat. Fresh as the air after Spring rainfall. Perfectly balanced wine, balanced structure with elegance and depth of character. Animating, mellow, contemplative.

2007 Galgenberg Selektion
60% Sankt Laurent, 40% Pinot Noir. Intense but still elegant aromas of tar, violets, cherries, and fruits of the forest. Gracefully built, full of finesse, playful with a good core. Extremely delicate: quite possibly the “Margaux” style of Weinviertel reds!

2008 Lauschen Zweigelt Selektion
Wood berry characters with a subtle aromas of leaf. Cool elegance, dark cherries with vibrant acidity, black pepper and olives. Quite similar to Syrah, as is often the case with ripe Zweigelt.

 

 

Röschitz - Village wines with a medium body and balanced style.

2010 Welschriesling 
Citrus lemon and herbs aromas intertwined with apple and quince. Creamy style with integrated  herbal spice and pleasant freshness in the finish. An approachable style of wine.

2010 Weinviertel DAC Grüner Veltliner
Intense tobacco spice, with wild herbs, grapefruit and apple. Juicy flavours, well structured with impressive length. Provides great drinking pleasure from now, yet will keep for next 2 to 3 years.

2010 Riesling
Citrus lime and lemon balm. Clear cut delicate aromas. Crisp, slightly grassy style with lean acidity balanced with sweet fruit characters. Bright and cool.

2010 Gelber Muskateller
Lemon balm with touch of apricot. Crisp and cool style, also spicy, vibrant and concise structure. Elegant style that is not overpowering, combining juicy texture and good length, with a fresh citrus fruit tang on the finish.

2010 Sauvignon Blanc
Grassy spice over capsicum and yellow pepper. Attractive appeal with a hint of smoke, combined with vibrant acidity, and a lean and compact body.
“Sauvignon Blanc generally favours more humid years, and needs a lot of rainfall. That’s why the 2010 was really very good.”

2008 Zweigelt Röschitz
Red berry characters reminiscent of Pinot Noir. Clear fruit expression, medium-bodied, nice freshness, harmonious, balanced.

 

Frizzante

Punkt Genau Grüner Veltliner
Aromas of apple and white pear; Citrus lemon freshness with a fine mousse, crisp style with fruity and bright characters. A jolly drink!

Punkt Genau Rosé Zweigelt
Strawberry over fresh cherry aromas, with a hint of raspberry ice cream and rose hip. Delicate and  supple structure, clear and bright style.

PEPP – the Party wines

2010 Green! PEPP Grüner Veltliner
Green apples, fresh. Crisp and fresh acidity over delicate fruit characters with hints of tobacco. Easy drinking Grüner Veltliner with true varietal character.

2010 Pink! PEPP Rosé
Salmon pink. Cherry and strawberry fruit, fresh and joyful.
“Rosé is increasingly important. Maybe it is also the modern approach of the PEPP – line.”

2009 Red! PEPP Zweigelt
Cherry and spicy pepper aroma. Medium bodied. Fruit-driven with dark spice, moss and loganberry.



...and a sweet wine:

2009 Chardonnay Trockenbeerenauslese
Bright golden yellow; intensive aroma of dried peaches, yellow apples, figs and nuts. Clear fruit expression, focussed, mellow. Animating, delicate and long lasting.

Ewald Gruber: “Elegance in the wines is a concern to me. Anybody can make broad, full-bodied wines, but those wines in my opinion do not express varietal or regional character. I want to transport our cool climate in our wines!”