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 - 2023 Grüner Veltliner Kremstal Furth

Price: $23.00
Size: 750ml
Availability: 

20 in stock

Type of Wine: White
Grape(s): 100% Grüner Veltliner
Style: Mineral, Medium Body

GROWER OVERVIEW

Ninth-generation winegrower, Michael Malat took the lead from his father, Gerald, at their Kremstal winery that dates to 1722. One of Austria’s prime Grüner Veltliner and Riesling regions, Kremstal is a climatic tug-of-war between eastern Pannonian warm winds and cold western Alpine air. It’s home to a great diversity of soil types on large terraces, from loess (wind-blown calcareous fine sands), gravels and various rock formations of limestone, crystalline, mica-schist and granulite. Most of their classic range is raised in ancient 50-100ha wooden vats, lending a unique flavor profile and rounded quality to their finely etched wines. Malat is also historically connected to some small-grower Austrian sparkling wines and is often considered to be the country’s top Sekt producer.

VINEYARD DETAILS

Vineyards for the Grüner Veltliner “Furth” are on the Danube’s right bank. Planted between the 1970s and 2010s (20 years average), the vines face northwest at 210-230m on large, gently sloped terraces. The bedrock and topsoil are composed of loess, sand, and gravel.

CELLAR NOTES

Hand harvested and naturally fermentation and aged in steel.

About The Wine

Fermented in stainless steel then racked into large old wooden casks of roughly 10,000 liters for three months, the resulting wine is simply perfect for pairing with every kind of savory food. A blend of different vineyards throughout the right bank of the Danube, this wine carries a lovely mineral-driven nose accentuated by notes of lemon curd, almond, nutmeg, and brown butter. The tart and fresh palate shines with a zesty, high-toned acidity that fully encompasses the back palate and slowly drifts away just in time for the next sip. This is a great wine that’s also pretty serious for its price category.