Markus Huber Berg Erste Lage Riesling 2019

Cellar for up to 11 years. Serve well chilled.

Markus Huber’s eponymous winery is set in Austria’s verdant Traisental Valley, the country’s smallest wine growing region which is known for its minerally full-bodied Riesling and Gruner Veltliner white wines. Markus is one of Austria’s most promising young winemakers and was named “Falstaff Winemaker of the Year” at an awards ceremony which is considered the Oscars of the Austrian wine industry.

This single vineyard wine comes from a steep east-facing slope with a gradient of 25% where the Riesling vines have to be planted on terraces. This special vineyard has very poor soils with lots of limestone which forces the vines to struggle, producing small quantities of particularly concentrated and aromatic fruit. Once in the winery the fruit is left to macerate on the skins for 12 hours before being fermented in stainless steel tanks. The young wine is then aged on the lees for 8 months in acacia wood barrels to add polish and a creamier texture.

Lemon peel, spring blossom and grapefruit define the nose while the first sip reveals a crisp, refreshing acidity, medium body, and bright citrus and stone fruit flavours ending in a pure, clean finish with hints of stony minerality.