Weingut Wachter Wiesler : Blaufränkisch at its best!

Christoph Wachter, 33 years old, is the head winemaker at Weingut Wachter Wisler, standing as fifth-generation making wines on these schist-rich soils of Burgenland. He began working at his family winery in 2008 when he was just 20 years old. He took over full responsibility in 2010. It’s hard to say what’s more impressive between all the accolades he’s got for his wines and his title of “Newcomer of the year” in 2014 from der Feinschmecker or the outstanding authenticity and quality of his wines, vintage after vintage.

Weingut Wachter-Wisler has 1 4 hectares of vineyards in Südburgenland, in the towns of Eisenberg and deutsch-Schützen, which both form the viticulture center of the appellation. The unique soil of this small region is quite unique, Eisenberg is the only place where you can find vines planted on greenschist. it’s a rich and unique terroir and christoph really succeeds in letting it shine through his Blaufränkisch with a focus on the particularly vivid mineral spice these iron-filled soils bring to the wines. Eisenberg, and its hilly vineyards, is the smallest appellation in Austria. Rural and relatively remote, South Burgenland is perhaps best described as quaint. However, the uniqueness of the region, with its distinctive terroir and spicy, mineral wines, has gained strong recognition and respect well beyond its borders. indeed, this region yields wines based on unmistakable character and individuality.

Wachter-Wiesler has shaped their family winery, which has been established for several decades, into one of the quality spearheads on Eisenberg. The winery philosophy is quite simple: they believe Wine is the most interesting, natural and authentic when you recognize its origin. christoph is one of the only three producers in Sudburgenland who is farming organically. Rather than add fertilizer, he leaves the vines to extract what they need from the soil itself, thus instilling the wines with minerality and allowing them to express their unique terroir. The winemaking is mostly non-interventionist, with lower yields than in the past, extremely truncated yields, with aging in large casks to preserve the fine texture and the great minerality characteristic of this superb terroir. The resulting wines are incredibly elegant, expressive expressions of Blaufränkisch with great aging potential, though they are drinking well right now. This local varietal can be quite fragile and delicate to work with, but with the right care, it can show very fine delicacy and balance. The wines of Wachter-Wiesler are really an example of winemaking, done the right way,for the right reason. No wonder it became a flagship producer for this tiny region, yet to make major waves in the wine world.

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Weingut Wachter Wiesler Eisenberg, Béla-Joska Blaufränkisch 2017
Eisenberg, Burgenland
This blend of different parcels is a fragrant and elegant expression
with aromas of crushed fresh strawberry, elderberry, raspberry,
and rosemary with a strong but elegant dried floral character of violets and lilac. The texture is silky with bright acidity, dry, moderate tannins and an overall expressive feeling.
Score : 16.5/20 (93/100

Weingut Wachter Wiesler Deutsch-Schützen Blaufränkisch, 2017

Eisenberg Reserve, Burgenland
The Blaufränkisch wines in deutsch-Schützen in comparison with those from the Eisenberg, can be more succulent and show a bit more opulence and ear thiness. The deutsch-Schützen comes from two vineyards, the Ratschen and the Weinberg. it’s a complex mix of spiciness and fruitiness with full-flavored aromas of sour cherry, blackberries, cassis, pepper
and clove. The expression is pure and direct and the terroir really shines through with a discernable earthy character, salinity as well as a very rounded and elegant palate. The tannins are very present but lacy and give great length.
Score : 18/20 (96/100)

by Joanie Metivier