An all-time great
17 November 2020

Today we are delighted to offer Birgit Eichinger’s glorious 2019 Erste Lagen – the estate’s top single vineyard wines. This is an especially exciting release as the sunny, concentrated intensity of the 2019 vintage plays perfectly in to Eichinger’s naturally generous, lush and spicy style. Reports from Austria indicate that 2019 will go down as an all-time great. For context, “Erste Lage” is the highest classification in Austrian wine, reserved for the very top sites. In future, the goal of the Austrian wine board is to identify and upgrade an even more limited number of those to Grosse Lage status, once the quality and pedigree of the wines is beyond doubt. Eichinger’s enviable array of holdings in the small but prestigious Kamptal valley comprises three different Erste Lagen, each showcasing a different face of Gruner Veltliner or Riesling according to soil type, exposition or elevation. At the top of the quality tree is a sure-fire candidate for promotion: the Ried Heiligenstein, indisputably one of Austria’s most prestigious single vineyards.    Read More

The 2019s as a range combine lavish, creamy fruit flavours with deep, spicy mineral flavours across both Gruner Veltliner and Riesling. Although deceptively open and easy to enjoy at times, the 2019s have lots of ripe, concentrated acidity that will stand them in excellent stead for the future. Over the next two to three years we expect the wines to slim down and reveal more complex herbal, salty and savoury nuances.

Near-perfect vintage conditions paved the way for this great collection. A mild winter and variable spring, with abundant rainfall in May, built up water reserves to sustain the vines through the hot dry summer of 2019. As harvest approached, conditions remained dry with cooler nights which helped to retain acidity and freshness. The textbook setting for later ripening, aromatic grape varieties to succeed.

For full tasting notes on all the wines in the offer please click here.

These wines are offered En Primeur and will be shipped by the end of 2020.

Prices below are listed under bond excluding duty and VAT. Orders over £300.00 inc. VAT qualify for free delivery in mainland UK, otherwise charged at £18.00.