Judith Beck - Ink, Gols, Burgenland, Austria (2021)

TASTING NOTES

Dark ruby hue with a violet rim. On the nose, scents of sour cherry, sweet spices, cinnamon, cloves and a little barnyard. On the palate, light and refreshing with soft tannins and an elegant spiciness leading to a juicy finish. This could definitely be chilled a little with its juicy red fruit suppleness.

Biodynamic certified farming; de-stemmed, fermented in stainless steel.  Fermenting juice is circulated over the cap 1x/per day for the first 10 days to attain a balanced level of extraction, then the wine is racked off skins and moved into large neutral acacia wood casks for 2 months.  They finish aging for 8-10 months in 500-1000 liter barrels before blending and bottling unfined/unfiltered, with no added So2.

The Judith Beck estate is based in the commune of Gols, in the Neusiedlersee region, on the eastern side of the Lake Neusiedl. Gols is part of the larger Burgenland region in easternmost Austria, with a very warm climate defined by the Pannonian plain and the Lake, whose temperatures reach 90 degrees in the summer and is only 1.5 meters deep. Indeed, this is the country's warmest wine growing area and the first to harvest. It is the center of the production of Austria's finest dry and full-bodied red wines.

The family estate was founded in 1976 by Matthias and Christine Beck. Judith, assumed full control of the winery in 2004, having made her first vintage in 2001. After graduating from the Klosterneuburg Viniculture College Judith Beck gained international experience at world-renowned wineries, including Château 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” for the regional varieties Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent.

The estate is a member of the Pannobile association, as well as of “11 Frauen und ihre Weine” (11 Women and their Wines). The philosophy of the domaine is aptly put by Judith: “Wine and the joy of living and pleasure all go hand in hand. We prefer wines which captivate all of our senses with each new bottle and each new sip.”