Anita and Hans Nittnaus - Pinot Blanc Heideboden 2020 (750ml)
Price: $27.99
| Producer | Anita and Hans Nittnaus |
| Country | Austria |
| Region | Burgenland |
| Varietal | Pinot Blanc |
| Vintage | 2020 |
| Sku | 62709 |
| Size | 750ml |
 |
Anita and Hans Nittnaus Description
Burgenland is Austria’s easternmost wine region, situated south of Niederösterreich and north of Steiermark, and bordering Hungary along its entire eastern flank. Its 28% share of Austria’s vineyard area produces the country’s best and most respected red wines, from vineyards whose proximity to Hungary’s warm Pannonian plains ensures proper ripening for the indigenous Blaufränkisch and Zweigelt. The northern sector of Burgenland is dominated by Lake Neusiedl (or Neusiedlersee), Europe’s largest steppe lake, which straddles the Austria-Hungary border, and the Nittnaus family has resided in the town of Gols, on Neusiedlersee’s eastern edge, since 1684.
The Nittnaus estate today encompasses 44 hectares spread among two distinct subregions of northern Burgenland. To the east of Lake Neusiedl, in the Neusiedlersee appellation, soils are of sandy clay with varying levels of flint; this is the site of the family’s historic holdings, as well as the winery itself. More recently, Hans and Anita have acquired vineyards in the Leitha hills, to the west of the lake, whose poorer soils of limestone and slate render Blaufränkisch of striking energy and minerality. They work according to strict biodynamic principles, and are certified as such by the small, rigorous, and less-mainstream “respect-BIODYN” organization.
Nittnaus’ zesty Pinot Blanc comes from vineyards to the northeast of Lake Neusiedl, planted in the area’s sandy clay. Fermented spontaneously and aged ten months in stainless steel on its fine lees, this wine rarely tops 13% alcohol, and typically carries around a single invisible gram of residual sugar. Its vivid, lifted fruit speaks to its low-intervention origins, and it possesses a carefully calibrated generosity which stops well short of unctuousness.
