2023 Riesling Hochäcker

Patrick Proidl’s family has been in Senftenberg since 1738, working their farm in mixed agriculture and growing some vines. Patrick’s father, Franz, decided to focus on wine only. “Franz wanted what was extraordinary and thus was one of the first to recultivate forgotten sites, like Ehrenfels,” says Patrick Proidl about his father. “Of the 30 hectares we have, he recultivated almost 19 hectares, especially the terraces of Ehrenfels.” Two-thirds of the holdings are on the steep slopes of the Krems Valley, where the Danube no longer has any influence; only one-third is on flat land. Grape production is split into 45% Grüner Veltliner and 35% Riesling with some Merlot, Cabernet and Chardonnay. Senftenberg is at the end of the viticultural possibility for the Kremstal. The next village upstream is already too high for vineyards. The Czech border is less than an hour north, and cool Bohemian winds have a real impact here – the moderating influence of the Danube no longer applies this far upstream. In 2011, Proidl junior joined the estate after graduating from viticultural college in Krems and training with Jurtschitsch. Two thousand twelve was his first full vintage at home – but even then, ferments were already spontaneous, with the wines allowed longer aging on lees. The single-site wines are thrilling altitudinal expressions of both Grüner Veltliner and Riesling, very expressive and not for the faint of heart.