2015 Martin Muthenthaler Grüner Veltliner Viesslinger Stern

WINEMAKER: Martin Muthenthaler
REGION: Wachau, AT
VARIETAL: Grüner Veltliner
VITICULTURE: Organic

The Viesslinger Stern cuvee is Martin’s flagship Grüner Veltliner. The grapes come from difficult to reach parcels of the highly elevated Bruck vineyard. Although Bruck is largely planted to the Riesling variety, there are also historic plots of old vine Grüner scattered across the vineyard. Some of these special Grüner vines were planted by Martin’s grandparents and are even known by their own individual names. The 70 + year old root systems penetrate deep into the schist and orthogneiss rock producing a complex and focused Grüner Veltiner.

A 'one-man' operation in the truest sense of the phrase, Martin was a truck driver for Domäne Wachau for 20 years before he started making wine of his own in the Spitzer Graben valley in Austria's famous Wachau region. Since 2006 he has been cultivating 3 hectares of vines - all organic since the 2010 vintage - planted on poor rocky soils at high altitudes. All fruit is hand harvested by Martin, and fermented spontaneously with ambient yeast.