RAINER WESS
Rainer
Wess founded his own winery in 2003 after many years of diverse
experience in the wine trade, in both his native Austria and
internationally. From the beginning, Rainer’s goal was to produce
Grüner Veltliner and Riesling wines that would not only be among the
best of the Wachau Valley, but also express his very personal
style and philosophy. Wess aims to produce the purest, freshest and
most elegant wines possible, with clear expressions of the varietal and
site. In 2010, Rainer Wess moved his operations to Krems where he
renovated a 300 year-old building that once was the cellar of a
monastery. His 2010 vintage was the first to be vinified in the
new gravity-feed winery. With the 2011 vintage, Wess will add new
vineyards from Kremstal to his collection.
VITICULTURE AND HARVEST
Throughout the
growing season in the Wachau, cool air descends from the top of the
slopes and moderates the warmth at the bottom, enhanced by sun light
reflecting off the Danube. The interplay of temperatures adds
complexity to the wines. Wess farms his vineyards sustainably, to
create a healthy natural ambiance for the vines. “In the end,” Rainer
explains, “my main goal is ripe and healthy fruit which can have
extended hang-time on the vine.” As harvest approaches, usually by
early October and running through November, Wess ensures that the
grapes have an optimal balance of physiological ripeness and acidity,
with no botrytis. The fruit is picked by hand and brought to the winery
in small plastic crates. Wess vinifies in small batches to ensure full
control over the process and the full, individual expression of each
varietal and site.
THE WINES
Wess offers three distinct levels of wines. The first is the “entry-level” or regional, Wachauer bottlings. The grapes for the Wachauer Grüner Veltliner and Riesling
wines originate from flatter sites in the Wachau towns of Unterloiben
and Dürnstein. Here the alluvial soil is covered with some loess
(windblown silt, clay and sand) layers. The grapes ripen early and are
the first to be picked. These factors account for the aromatic, zesty,
forward and uncomplicated character of the Wachauer Grüner Veltliner
and Rieslings. The wines have ample "cool" fruit in their bouquets and
expressive citrus and stone fruits on the palate. The finishes are long
and crisp; they represent superb value.
“Terrassen”
translates as terraced. The grapes for Wess’ Terrassen wines come from
selected, terraced Wachau sites at “mid-slope” level, where the grapes
have attained complete ripeness. The Terrassens offer exceptional
richness and complexity, supported by firm and ripe acidity. Both the Terrassen Grüner Veltliner
and Riesling are expressive, immediately accessible, generous wines,
packed with bright, rich, and juicy orange, peach, apricot and apple
fruit. They are perfect expressions of their respective
varietals.
The
pinnacles of the Rainer Wess line are the Grüners and Rieslings from
the great Loibenberg and Pfaffenberg vineyards. All benefit from a few
years of cellaring to bring their power and concentration into
harmony.
Wines from the Loibenberg
vineyard have a distinct personality due to the combination of a cool
microclimate, warmth from heat reflected off the Danube, and long
hang-time before harvest. The steep vineyard reaches up to 450 meters
of altitude and has an ideal south-southeast exposure. The vines grow
on weathered, poor soil with layers of loess
and clay over underlying primary, gneiss rock. The Loibenberg
wines display vivid fruit, intense mineral structure, and, plush,
powerful body. Their character is well summed by the term: density.
The Pfaffenberg
vineyard straddles the Wachau and Kremstal districts, and descends to
the town of Stein. The peak altitude is 550 meters and the exposure is
south-east. The soil in the Pfaffenberg is a few inches of decomposed
rock over primary, gneiss bedrock. Because of the steepness of
the slope, the vineyards are terraced and rows are planted across
the slope. The Pfaffenberg wines are refined, pure and elegant, and
very long, with vivid minerality underpinning the citrus and white
peach fruit.
THE
WACHAU VALLEY
The Wachau region
is located in the Danube Valley, west of Vienna. It is one of the
oldest and most unique wine regions of Europe. Stone terraces rising up
from the Danube into the region’s ancient, fortified hills, typify the
landscape. The entire Wachau Valley is only 20 miles long, and
its wine-growing district covers only half of the area. It is the
westernmost – and therefore the highest and coolest – wine region of
Austria. By tradition, Grüner Veltliner and Riesling vines are
cultivated on the same soils across the vineyards.
VINTAGE
2010
is a year of very small production; the lowest in over 20 years. The
growing season started late; budding only occurred in June. Flowering
was also late, at the end of June, almost 3 weeks behind the usual
time. Rain during flowering caused coulure, reducing the size of the
crop by at least one third. The summer was cool in general — but with
several very warm periods — which prolonged the ripening process. The
weather gradually improved, and the grapes achieved physiological
ripeness by late October. September and October saw warm days, and as
important, cool nights which checked the onset of botrytis. Wess had
the necessary patience to wait, and only began to harvest the Wachauer
Grüner Veltliner fruit in mid-October and the Rieslings in the second
week of November. His challenge was to pick fruit that was both healthy
and with a balance of acidity and ripeness. Comments Rainer Wess: “my
2010s combine the richness of the 2009s and the electric freshness of
the 2008s. I love the elegance, vigor and clarity of the 2010s.”
