Malat

video malat

Photography and writing by Ted Vance.

It is never easy to fill the shoes of a powerful and polarizing figure, like Gerald Malat. Gerald’s tall, handsome and forever smiling son, is doing just that. In fact, the shoe size seems to have gotten even bigger under Michael’s direction. The previous level has been elevating under Michael’s eagle-like eyes which have set him on his upward climb. There is something extraordinary and unique about the expression of these vineyards under Michael’s direction. Even the entry-level wines find absolute deliciousness and express enough intellect to enamor us wine geeks. There is a range of yellow fruits and spiciness that walks you through a stone fruit grove and into a baker’s shop first thing in the morning. These wines seem to be born with a natural gravitation towards the highest level and each vintage seems to trump the previous one. The limit of the quality this estate is churning out has not yet been established.

Kremstal is one of the most recent DAC to be added to Austria. Founded in 2007, just east of the Wachau, this large appellation is divided into three significant zones. The most western part of the valley, near Stein, is primarily rocky soils, ideal for the elegant, yet intense, Riesling varietal. As you move east towards the historic town of Krems, deep loess soils cover the vineyards allowing Gruner Veltliner to express its highly aromatic and fresh nature. The third zone of the Kremstal is located on the southern banks of the Danube River, where some of the most pleasant wine villages are found. The deep valley is protected by the northern cool winds, though the warm Pannonian winds from the east are still strikingly present, resulting in a riper style wine.

Malat - 2017 Gruner Veltliner, ‘Hohlgraben’ Alte Reben

Price: $51.00
Size: 750ml
Availability: 

Out of stock

Type of Wine: White
Grape(s): Grüner Veltliner
Style: Mineral, Medium Body

INFORMATION DISCLAIMER

Terroir: Malat’s vineyards are located on the right bank (south side) of the Danube. Despite large topographical differences on the two sides of the river, all of the Kremstal is similarly influenced by the cold winds of the Waldviertel from the north and forests from the south, which creates a tug-of-war with the warm Pannonian climate from the east. Well within sight of the Danube, Höhlgraben, which means cave and/or ditch, is an old vine (Alte Reben) Grüner Veltliner parcel that sits on a series of elevated terraces on the southern side (right bank) of the Danube next to the Wachau Gorge.

Vinification: The grapes are hand picked and selected without botrytis. The press is gentle and the fermentation is made spontaneous with natural yeast in 2000-liter old barrels. The first sulfite addition is done right after pressing.

Aging: 6-8 months in old 2000-liter barrels on fine lees. No fining. Filtered.

(Subjective and based on young wines)

Ageability:

Drink YoungShort-Term BenefitsLong-Term BenefitsUnknown

Technical Precision:

NatureModerateNurture

The Vineyard

Soil:

Shallow löss topsoil on granulite, a high-grade metamorphic rock. Little of the vineyard is impacted by granulite.

Farming:

SustainableOrganic CertifiedBiodynamic CertifiedUncertified Naturalist

Irrigation:

ForbiddenNeverSometimes

Vine Age:

Average age of 60 years (2019)

Altitude (meters):

210-230

Aspect:

North West

Slope:

Exposed and on mild slope (5-7%)
(typical numbers; not vintage specific)

Enological Additions:

Sulfur Dioxide

Total SO2:

None AddedVery LowLowMediumHigh

Alcohol:

12.5 - 13.50

pH:

3.20-3.40

Titratable Acidity:

5.0-6.5

Residual Sugar:

Dry

Notes compiled in 2019 by Ted Vance (The Source) and Michael Malat