Johannes Zillinger 'JZ Velue 2.0' Grüner Veltliner Niederösterreich 2022

Johannes Zillinger farms biodynamically in the Weinviertel region of northeastern Austria. Fermenting only with indigenous yeasts and bottling with only light filtration and minimal additions of sulfur, Johannes meticulously produces delicious, well-structured wines. As a child, he learned the craft of organic winemaking at his father’s knee, vowing to protect the environment rather than poison it. His father Hans is one of the pioneers of organic viticulture in Austria, converting to organics in 1983. When Johannes took over the 350-year-old winery in 2013, he took it a step further and became biodynamic, now Demeter certified. He has embraced the biodynamic philosophy head-on, and even grows his own herbs for tea tinctures to use as treatments in his vineyards. This grüner is wild - the team harvests the grapes in three passes throughout the month of September, with 50% of the grapes being wholebunch pressed, 45% seeing a brief maceration, and 5% being fully skin-fermented. This offers Johannes the ability to experiment with acidity and fruitiness, deciding how to translate ripeness into degrees of opulence on the palate. Fermentation is done in a combination of stainless steel tanks, big barrels, and amphora (for the skin-macerated portions). Later, the cuvées are blended and aged on the lees with stirring for 6 months in stainless steel and oak. Reminiscent of a freshly baked apple danish garnished with fresh herbs and nasturtium flowers. Certified biodynamic, low-intervention/natural wine.