2021 Judith Beck 'Pink' Burgenland Rosé

Region: Neusiedlersee <Burgundland < Austria 

Grapes: Blaufränkisch, Rotburger (AKA Zweigelt)

Vineyard/Cellar stats: Biodynamic farming; limestone, sandstone soils; de-stemmed, quickly pressed off the skins then fermented in stainless steel and racked off skins and moved into large neutral acacia wood casks for aging before blending and bottling unfined/unfiltered, with no added So2; zero-zero;  11% ABV

Winemaker: Judith Beck

While Austria is still mostly known for white wines, the red wines of the country are the insider secret.  Rotburger (formerly called Zweigelt), a cross between Blaufrankisch and St. Laurent, is the nation's signature red grape, producing wines similar to Pinot Noir: bright, tart and fruity.  

Judith Beck took over her small family estate, consisting of 15 hectares of biodynamically tended vines (certified since 2007), in 2014.  She trained at the famous Bordeaux estate Cos d'Estournel in France before making her own wine back home.  When asked about why biodynamic viticulture, she explains how the quality is exponentially better: "First, it was just a change in the vineyard and we focused a lot on improving soil life and building up humus. Then after a few years I realized just how much the quality of the grapes had changed and how much more vibrance and liveliness there was in the wines. For me it was liberating to forget pretty much everything that I had learned in winemaker’s school and just follow my instincts while working with that lovely fruit that I suddenly had."

Her aim is to produce authentic wines with an individual stamp of each's terroir, while at the same time maintaining healthy soil and vines. In the cellar, Judith uses barrels made of old (3rd pass+) acacia wood, in a larger format that she thinks accentuates the clear fruit of Rotburger and Blaufränkisch. “We believe that wine needs to breathe in order to develop thoroughly; that's the reason why we do not use stainless steel tanks for maturation at all.”

We love that Judith has mastered the art of impeccable zero-zero winemaking -- her bottles are reliably great, never mousy or weird.  Like this pretty pink that packs WAY more character than most.  Zippy, clean and fresh, it smells like the stuff of Nutcracker dreams - candied strawberries, sugar plums. But on the palate, she's both fleshy and tart, with a sharp, salty tang of cranberry that deepens into cherry. Let her open up (she's a bit shy at first) and the fruit deepens, with cozy baking spice emerging.  The ultimate winter rosé -- it even looks the part!