| Region of production: | Kamptal |
| Winery Location: | Langenlois |
| Year Established: | First bottled in 1947 |
Vineyard Holdings
80 ha
- Heiligenstein
- Käferberg: soil is sandy clay
- Loiser Berg: soils are gneiss, mica schist, some clay and loess; south and southeast facing; planted to Grüner Veltliner
- Steinmassel
- Berg-Vogelsang: soils are mica schist; southwest facing; planted to Grüner Veltliner
- Lamm: soils are chalky clay and loess on siltstone; south facing; planted to Grüner Veltliner; one of the warmest sites
Top Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages
- Grüner Veltliner Kamptaler Terrassen
- Grüner Veltliner Alte Reben: fermented in 300L Austrian oak casks, aged in 2500L barrel
- Grüner Veltliner Loiser Berg: made in similar style to the Berg-Vogelsang, but the exposition is different and the site experiences marginally warmer and more protected microclimate
- Grüner Veltliner Berg Vogelsang: bottled early
- Grüner Veltliner Ried Lamm Auslese
- Grüner Veltliner Spiegel
- Riesling Kamptaler Terrassen
- Riesling Steinmassel
- Riesling Zöbinger Heiligenstein
- Sekt Brut: a blend of predominately Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with remaining amount Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Grüner Veltliner. Vintage late harvest Pinot Blanc is used as the dosage.
- Brut Rosé: a blend of Pinot Noir, Zweigelt, and St Laurent.
Average Total Production
- 396,000 bottles
Summary
Often cited as Austria’s premier winery, the Bründlmayer name is synonymous with top-quality Austrian winemaking. The estate began under Willi Bründlmayer Sr. who came from a family of winegrowers who sold their wines to restaurants in cask. After WWII, Willi Sr. started to acquire unused or abandoned vineyard holdings, including many that would become known as Austria’s best vineyard sites. He bottled his first vintage in 1947 and continued to add to family holdings regularly over the years. He had a dedicated interest in viticulture and vineyard management and his work helped develop the “Bründlmayer” training system (now known as the Lyre training system) in the 1970’s. Willi Sr felt this system, that opens the canopy to allow sunshine on one side and shade on the opposite side, particularly suited Grüner Veltliner and Riesling. The vineyards are farmed organically and worked by hand.
Willi Bründlmayer Jr. grew up assisting his father and worked in both Valais and Burgundy in his teenage years. He took over from his father and has managed the estate since 1981, developing into icon status among Austrian winemakers today.
While the single-vineyard Grüner Veltliner and Riesling bottlings make up the winery’s top wines, Bründlmayer boasts an extensive range that includes Zweigelt, St. Laurent, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay, along with traditional method sparkling wines.
Style & Vinification Techniques
Grapes are hand harvested and multiple passes are made through the vineyard to avoid botrysized grapes completely. Once at the winery, the grapes are not de-stemmed or crushed before pressing to allow for as little handling of the fruit as possible, with the exception of a small portion of grapes from each lot that are held back, de-stemmed, and macerated for several hours. This portion is used by Willi and Cellar Master Josef Knorr during blending to add texture to final wines. Willi and Knorr use ambient yeasts taken from previous vintages or small yeast samples off grapes still on the vine to inoculate and begin fermentation. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel or large neutral cask, depending on variety and site. Aging takes place in the temperature-controlled cellar, 3-18 months in barrel depending on variety.
The Alte Reben, or “Old Vine” wines are fermented in new oak and the name designates wines sourced from vines over 50 years old. For sparkling wines, the Brut and Brut Rosé age on the lees for eighteen months (Extra Brut spends 18-36 months) before riddlingand disgorging.
Producer Website: Bründlmayer