Claus Preisinger Kalkundkiesel Weissburgunder 2023

Claus Preisinger works in Burgenland, in eastern Austria, making wines by intuition and hand with biodynamic farming at the core. This orange wine blends Chardonnay, Grüner Veltliner and Pinot Blanc, the name Kalkundkiesel referring to the limestone and gravel that define the site. Those soils matter: limestone holds water and lends a stony freshness, while gravel drains well and warms the vines, and the warm Pannonian climate around Lake Neusiedl ripens the fruit fully while the lake moderates the swings. The wine is made with skin contact, the juice macerating on the grape skins to extract colour, phenolics and the tannic grip that defines an orange wine, then aged in wood, which softens the texture and adds a savoury layer through slow oxygen exchange. Worked as a natural, biodynamic wine with little intervention, it shows an alluring amber colour. The nose is apricot, pear and orange peel, with beeswax and dried herbs. The palate is dry and textured, carrying almond and a stony, earthy depth to a savoury finish. Serve at 13 to 15 degrees in a white wine glass.