Judith Beck Zweigelt 2020
Type: Red
Country: Austria
Region: Burgenland
Grape Variety: 100% Zweigelt
Alcohol Percentage: 12%
Viticulture: Natural Wine | Biodynamic | Certified Organic | Vegan Friendly
Climate: Warm climate defined by the Pannonian Plain to the east and the Lake
Terroir: The biodynamically grown grapes are planted on rich soils on the plain, closer to Lake Neusiedl. The vineyards are in Halbturn, Apetlon and Gols
Ageing: Judith and her team pick all of the fruit by hand and sort the grapes in the vineyard and at the winery before de-stemming. Fermentation occurs spontaneously, triggered only by the grapes’ native yeasts, in stainless steel tanks. Beck circulates the fermenting juice over the cap of grape skins twice per day for the first 10 days to attain a balanced level of extraction. The young wine is then racked off its skins and moved into 1000-2000 litre, neutral acacia wood casks for two months where it completes its malolactic fermentations. It is then transferred to 4-6 year-old barriques for 8-10 months of ageing
Color: Dark ruby red
Nose: Intense pronounced cherry and sour cherry fruit on the nose
Palate: Juicy and youthful with supple tannins and elegant spice on the finish
About the Winery:
The Judith Beck estate is based in the Burgenland commune of Gols, in the Neusiedlersee region, on the eastern – and warmest — side of the Lake Neusiedl. Gols is part of the larger Burgenland region in easternmost Austria, which enjoys a very warm climate defined by the Pannonian Plain to the east and the Lake. Lake Neusiedl’s depth is only 1.5 meters and its water temperature can reach 90 degrees F. in the summer. Indeed, this is Austria’s warmest wine growing area, the first to harvest, and the production centre of its finest full-bodied, dry red wines.
Judith’s parents, Matthias and Christine Beck, founded the family estate in 1976. Judith Beck made her first vintage in 2001 and in 2004 she assumed full control of the winery. After graduating from the Klosterneuburg Viniculture College Judith Beck gained international experience at world-renowned wineries, including Chateau Cos d’Estournel in Bordeaux, Braida in Piedmont and Errazuriz in Chile. Managing the family winery comes naturally to Judith who has an innate “sixth-sense” feel for the regional varieties Zweigelt, Blaufrankisch and St. Laurent.
Judith Beck owns a total of 13.5 hectares of vines in Gols, with holdings in the vineyard sites of Altenberg, Gabarinza, Salzberg and Schafleiten. 85% of the area is planted to red varieties – Blauer Zweigelt, Blaufrankisch, St. Laurent, Pinot Noir and Merlot, with the remaining 15% planted to white varieties – Welschriesling, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay. In addition, grapes are brought in from another 5 hectares in the communes of Apetlon, Halbturn and Winden, and used in the production of the basic red wines. Vines are planted at high densities of up to 7,000 vines per hectare to limit yields and ensure ripe fruit at harvest time. Soils range from loam and clay on the lower vineyards to limestone, higher up on the ridges. All grapes are hand-harvested.
The Becks built a new modern and functional winery and ageing cellar in 2005. It allows Judith to manipulate her wines as little as possible in the vinification process, resulting in wines that show the pure and vivid expression of the varietal and the unique vintage character. Judith Beck’s wines are at once elegant, fruit-forward and complex expressions of her vineyards.
