Heinrich - 'Naked' - Chardonnay, Weißburgunder, Grauer Burgunder - Burgenland, AT - NV

Satellite's Hot Take

JUST A SICK ORANGE! NO NOTES! PERFECT!

Notes from the Winery/Importer

Cheerful to juicy. This amber-coloured potion spreads its aromas around in a manner that’s equally expressive and unobtrusive… Both in the nose and on the palate, the blood orange is explored and enlarged with meticulous precision. From the aromatic scent of its blossom to the warming effect of its essential oil — from the delicate, stimulating bitterness of its peel to the refreshing juiciness of its flesh. This wine can indeed call itself orange, though far more delicate and tender than the buzzword orange might suggest. This 750ml bottle quickly has its way with the glassware, and will be drunk by four friends in some seven-hundred-fifty seconds. That’s twelve and a half minutes — on the average, shall we say… naked orange comes from both sides of the Lake. In the west, from the slopes of the Leitha Range, where the vines grow on limestone and slate. East of the lake, from the gravelly Parndorfer Platte and its south-facing slopes with calcareous sedimentary soils. Bottled in the eternal cycle of nature according to biodynamic principles, with a great deal of manual labour and responsive care. Hand-harvested from the end of August to mid-September; spontaneous fermentation, mostly left on the skins for up to two weeks, gently pressed before the spontaneous onset of malolactic fermentation. Matured for over a year in amphora and in large oak casks on its own lees, then bottled unfiltered with only minimal use of sulphur. Blend: 30% Chardonnay 20% Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc) 20% Grauer Burgunder (Pinot Gris) 20% Roter Traminer 5% Neuburger 5% Muskat Ottonel Stats: 12.5% a.b.v. 5.8 g/l acidity 2.3 g/l residual sugar Bottle size: 0.75 L Bottled: March 2025

Notes on the Producer

Great wines express a sense of place and they are best able to do this when they are rooted in a biologically diverse environment where soil vitality is intact and vines live in symbiosis with the complex ecosystem in which they live. To lend nature and its manifold aspects a voice through our wines is our ultimate aspiration. The ways and means to this objective are marked by many actions and fundamental decisions that set the course and reflect our ethical and qualitative philosophies. Our decision to convert to biodynamic viticulture in 2006 was based on the goal of making our vineyards successively more resilient, more vital, and more heterogeneous. At the same time, we allow our wines and ourselves the freedom of increasingly less intervention. Regardless of the fact that all of our wines are fermented spontaneously and that we often like to leave them on the skins for weeks, it is above all else time that shapes our wines. Time for some means weeks, for others years – but all of our wines are given time with the intention of lending balance for their continued journey. To this end, wines remain unadulterated on their own lees, for the most part in used wooden barrels, and develop their own unique spectrum of aromas over time. We are mindful of these natural processes and observe them closely, but we influence them as little as possible, implementing our idea of producing authentic and truly genuine wines as rigorously as we can.

The term “natural wine” may be omnipresent, but it is not clearly defined. For us it simply means biodynamic viticulture and rigorous abstinence in the cellar. We respect our soil and our vines and rely on wild yeasts, spontaneous fermentation, maceration on the skins, maturation in wooden barrels, long lees contact, and the factor of time. Neuburger, Grauer Burgunder (Pinot Gris) and Roter Traminer (special type of Gewürztraminer) are each fermented on the skins. These varieties thus gain tannin structure and subsequently vitality; the spectrum of aroma shifts slightly and preconceived expectations of varietal typicity gain a new dimension. White wines that ferment on the skins break the boundaries of stereotypical conventions; they coax hidden qualities to the fore and lend grape varieties a harmony that would have been impossible to achieve in conventionally produced versions.
In many of the discussions about skin-fermented, orange and natural wines, the fact that red wines have always been fermented on their skins is somehow lost. This method contributes significantly to the style of a wine; that colour is extracted and additional structure, vitality and aroma are accumulated are welcome side effects. In the end, what we are trying to do is to continue the biodynamic philosophy that we practice in the vineyard, which is minimal and gentle intervention, in the wine cellar.

Authentic wines for unprejudiced palates – this is the idea! Our wines are about vibrancy, vitality, structure and concentration. It’s about proportions and balance; all other elements are extra bonuses, from which there are actually quite a few. These elements are shaped decisively by the significant factor of time. Because wine is a living product that evolves and changes, it reveals and withholds while imparting harmony and balance. The time period that a wine spends in barrel marks it significantly and is one of the few, but very decisive and essential actions that we undertake to influence our wines. Not only different grape varieties, but also terroirs require customized approaches.
The search for authenticity and the expression of origin and vintage, in short, the uniqueness of terroir is of utmost importance. Aromas are subject to individual perception, the subjective part of sensory evaluation. It is always worthwhile to remain open, practice tolerance, and not be afraid of discovering entirely new worlds of taste.
Without experimentation, there will be no discoveries and certainly no evolution. So, we experiment. We strive to explore possibilities and occasionally even exceed limits. The decision to convert to biodynamic viticulture was such an undertaking, as was our decision to cultivate vineyards on the Leithaberg and to plant Merlot in the Salzberg vineyard in Gols.
Innovative winemaking is based on the evolvement and implementation of experience. It is exactly from this impetus that great wines emerge. New directions in winemaking that actually originate from a distant past have been quite influential in recent years. Our own explorations have been towards increasingly fewer interventions while striving to get ever closer to the very essence of each individual wine. We leave our white wines longer on the skins and practice less extraction for our red wines. Sometimes we even decide to abstain completely from sulphite additions and filtration. In our opinion, the wines are becoming more pure, more authentic and more individual – wines that carry both our signature as well as the signature of their origin.

Although our winery has grown steadily over the past years, the successive vineyard expansion has not been accompanied by increased mechanization. The contrary is true. Handcraftsmanship is practiced throughout, whether with winter pruning, shoot placement, canopy management or harvesting. The individual vine and the knowledge about it – its age, its needs and its idiosyncrasies – is the central focus. Similar can be said of the work in the cellar. Our wines are not handled for months, even years, in our cellar and remain alive and evolve continuously. The wooden barrels and the coopers that produce them at Klaus Pauscha play a significant role.
Wines in large and small, in used and (increasingly more seldom) new wooden barrels and casks is probably our most influential intervention in the genesis of a wine. Together with time, wooden barrels lend our wines balance and structure and provide them with the natural quantity of air that they require to breathe and mature. Barrels shape wine and give it the necessary vitality and energy that is lacking in the sterility of stainless steel tanks.

The foundation for strong, resilient vines, healthy fruit, and ultimately great wine lies under the earth’s surface. The network of influential factors is highly complex, yet a healthy ecosystem is not easy to recognise – busy activity above the ground with numerous bees, butterflies or birds and an opulent and diverse flora are visual evidence. We planted shrubs, bushes, and numerous fruit trees in our vineyards and allowed many already there to remain in order to provide an ecological habitat for beneficial fauna.
Soil vitality has not only an aesthetic dimension; biodiversity also contributes to increased vine resilience. Adverse environmental influences are better endured and deep roots encourage soil fauna and help prohibit erosion. Potential pests find numerous competitors and their population is thus naturally limited. All of these factors benefit not only vines and grapes, but also the vintner that works among them and ultimately also the wines and the consumer.

The reasons for biodynamic cultivation of our vineyards are quite diverse and are based on principles of ethics and quality. The effort and expense is immense, but so is the satisfaction it provides. Complete abstinence from pesticides and the successive conversion to biodynamic viticulture began in 2006. Biodynamic viticulture was our final step towards preventative cultivation based on the use of natural preparations. Together with 15 befriended vintners we founded the respekt association that is also committed to the principles of biodynamic cultivation.
Apart from the understandably positive aspects for the vineyard itself (healthy soils and vines, increased biodiversity, natural humus development, ceased erosion), biodynamic cultivation also holds significant qualitative advantages for the people that work in the vineyard and is a responsible contribution to benefit future generations. The vines become increasingly resilient (and also older) and deliver healthy grapes even in difficult years. Vines are integrated in a natural cycle that leads to earlier physiological ripeness of fruit and lower potential alcohol without massive interventions.
Ultimately, at least according to our understanding, biodynamic cultivation leads to vineyards that better reflect their natural environment. Sustainable and conscientious biodynamic cultivation allows a more precise expression of vineyard and soil in our wines.

Between the Parndofer Platte (Parndorfer Plain) on the east side of the Neusiedlersee (Lake Neusiedl) and of the Leithaberg (Leitha Mountains) on the west side, we find completely different climatic conditions. Warm Pannonia air masses dominate the vicinity of the winery in Gols and the escarpment of the Parndorfer Platte (Parndorfer Plain) just behind it. Despite this, there are significant differences: the sun drenched vineyard slopes are often windless, while the rows of vines on the plateau of the Parndorfer Platte (Parndorfer Plain) just a few metres above are quite wind- exposed. What they share is a generally hot climate that is manifested in powerful, concentrated wines.
Just ten kilometres away as the crow flies, one finds completely contrasting conditions on the slopes of the Leithaberg (Leitha Mountains). There is also wind here, but due to the large neighbouring forest the air is much cooler and this has a significantly different influence on vine growth. Many sunshine hours accumulate on the southeast facing vineyard slopes, but the heat of the day is tempered by cooler nights. The wines from this area are influenced not only by a contrasting climate, but also a completely different geology. The terroir of the Leithaberg (Leitha Mountains) yields delineated, taut, compact bodied wines with cool precision in their aromatic expression.

Through our ability to closely observe what happens in the vineyard, we successively come to understand the behaviour of our vines. First when we recognize the complex interaction of the surrounding fauna and flora, the geological and climatic influences, and the individual needs of the vines, is it possible to act accordingly to let this to be increasingly expressed in the wines. The differences should be expressed in the smallest detail, because after all there are not only huge variations between Gols and the Leithaberg (Leitha Mountains), there are also divergences between the Salzberg and Gabarinza vineyards in Gols, and between the top and the foot of the Gabarinza slope. Understanding these singular attributes and allowing them expression is our great goal.

Local varieties are planted in 90% of our vineyard area and that share continues to grow. Our current new plantings on the Leithaberg (Leitha Mountains) make a clear statement about which path we are taking. The metre-thick layer of limestone and the cool climate comprise ideal preconditions that make the planting of white varieties look inviting, but these conditions are even more convincing for Blaufränkisch.
There is hardly another terroir in Burgenland that can express the varietal character of Blaufränkisch with such precision – vibrant acidity, abundant tannins, and clearly defined aromas benefit from the firm tautness that stems from the calcareous soil and the cool climate. The same preconditions also exist for our white wine varieties that we grow predominantly on the Leithaberg (Leitha Mountains) slopes: Neuburger Grauer Burgunder (Pinot Gris), Roter Traminer (local type of Gewürztraminer), Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) and basically also Chardonnay are historically typical varieties for Burgenland that have been vinified for generations all around the Neusiedlersee (Lake Neusiedl). Zweigelt, St. Laurent and Pinot Noir remain cable of speaking for themselves both as varietal wines as well as in our Pannobile blend. The fine-boned character of the Leithaberg (Leitha Mountains) and the power of the Gols sites provide additional dimensions.

Among all the terms that are used to describe the character of a wine, it is authenticity with which we most strongly identify. According to the dictionary, authentic is a synonym for TRUTH, which is certainly a decisive criterion for which we strive. GENUINE, PURE and UNADULTERATED are further attributes that are associated with authenticity that we would like to be tasted and perceived in our wines.
In order to meet these demands we cultivate our vineyards by hand and according to biodynamic principles. We allow the vintage – whether cold or hot, rainy or dry – as well as each individual site expression. Limestone, schist, red gravel, loam, cambisol, flat, steep, southeast or northwest, slope foot or slope peak, Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) or Pinot Noir: we strive to understand each vine and bring its uniqueness and essence PURE, TRUTHFUL, UNADUTERATED and GENUINE to the bottle.