Gernot Heinrich Graue Freyheit – Biodynamic Natural Wine from Austria
The Graue Freyheit 2022 from Gernot Heinrich, which owes its name to the 60% Pinot Gris content, is truly no "grey mouse". Due to the skin-fermented Pinot Gris, its colour is more like a rosé than a white wine, and it is also cloudy because it was filled unfiltered into the clay bottle. Here, the winemaker simply wanted to be free, to try something new without being bound by conventions. The result is an excellent food companion with the scent of red berries, the delicate spice of black tea, with vibrant acidity, noticeable minerality, and enormous substance.
Heike and Gernot Heinrich say about their Graue Freyheit: "It forms the captivating symbiosis of appearing powerful and sublime, yet at the same time floating serenely like only a Zeppelin can embody. It is the fascinating paradox that emerges when the attributes of lean and fruit-loving form a unity."
The Gernot Heinrich Graue Freyheit 2022, a natural wine from Austria, impresses with its biodynamic production and complex aromas, vibrant acidity, paired with fine minerality.
Gernot Heinrich – Winemaking
Grauer Burgunder (Pinot Gris), Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Neuburger, and Chardonnay come together in the Graue Freyheit. The Pinot Gris grows on the Joiser Hackelsberg, a northwest-facing slope away from Lake Neusiedl with slate and quartz slate soils. Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc mostly come from the top sites Breitenbrunner Edelgraben and Windener Alter Berg, which are limestone and slate-rich eastern slopes of the Leitha Mountains. The vineyards are cultivated organically-biologically and biodynamically.
The grapes, hand-picked from late August to early September 2022, fermented spontaneously and remained on the skins for 15 days before being gently pressed in a basket press. The Graue Freyheit underwent natural malolactic fermentation, where the more aggressive malic acid is converted into milder lactic acid. This brings typical notes and, above all, a pleasant creaminess to the wine, which was allowed to mature for a full 17 months on the natural lees in amphorae and in large, used oak barrels before being bottled unfiltered and without added sulfur at the end of February 2024. Shake before enjoying!
Graue Freyheit – a Natural Wine and its Values
- 30% Pinot Blanc
- 60% Pinot Gris
- 2% Chardonnay
- 5% Neuburger
- 12.0% Vol. Alcohol
- 5.8 g/l Acidity
- 1.3 g/l Residual Sugar
Organic control body BIO-AT-402 – Austrian Agriculture