Seven at One Sip: a Heiligenstein Journey

Is there a way to understand a vineyard? Wines from certain sites evoke the urge to uncover more about the place and the reason the wines taste the way they do. These are wines that, whatever the vintage or producer, manage to stay true to some sensory basics. Riesling might be the medium, but the message is origin. 

Geography and geology are where the notion of terroir begins. To understand a vineyard is to listen to what place tells us through location, aspect, and soil. Zöbinger Heiligenstein in Kamptal, Austria has plenty to say. 

The brave little vineyard: Heiligenstein’s storied past

The greatness of the place has spoken through Riesling for generations. Even bottles from minor vintages inevitably deliver an unmistakable integrity and intensity, a stony core and grip not evident in wines from numerous nearby vineyards. So I listened to what Heiligenstein had to say, procuring seven bottles from seven producers from a single vintage. 

Steep, terrassed, south-west facing and shaped like a bent rectangle, the 43-hectare Heiligenstein vineyard is as remarkable to the eye as it is to the palate. It rests on a unique mix of 270-million-year-old red sandstone, interspersed with conglomerates (with rhyolite), siltstone, and volcanic quartz porphyries. The name is derived from “Hellenstein” in Middle High German, and was mentioned in writing as early as 1280. “Hel” means shiny and bright, aptly translated to “a place in the sun.” Eventually the Riesling wines produced from the site were so prized and praised that the name change to Heiligenstein (stone of the saints) seemed appropriate.

Over the course of centuries, Heiligenstein has established a reputation among both winegrowers and wine lovers as one of Austria’s great vineyards. 150 years ago wine was sold based on the village of origin, says Michael Moosbrugger, managing director of the historic Kamptal estate Schloss Gobelsburg, which manages two south-facing parcels totaling 3.5 hectares. At the time, only two wines were sold with the name of the vineyard; one was Heiligenstein. 

Sewing the seeds of sustainability in Kamptal

A great vineyard lives and breathes. In spring, bees and butterflies seek out the flowers’ first nectar; snails and insects wake from their winter dormancy. Some spring dances are silent, while others sound loudly from the top of the vines as they return with a catch. This is the voice of Heiligenstein. 

The greatness of place has spoken through Riesling for generations, delivering an unmistakable integrity and intensity, a stony core and grip.

Small patches of scrub and trees are interspersed across the densely vine-covered hill. Cover crops have been planted to nourish the soil between the Riesling rows. Weingut Hirsch and Weingut Loimer, two of the site’s prominent growers, are certified biodynamic by Respect – Biodyvin. Hiedler and Schloss Gobelsburg carry the seal from Sustainable Austria. Bründlmayer and Jurtschitsch are organic by LACON Institute, and Allram, too, is on its way to organic certification from LACON. The 2023 vintage is their first with the green seal on the label. Other Heiligenstein growers such as Brandl, Ehn, Eichinger, Steininger, and Topf are certified through Sustainable Austria, while Wezeli is working biodynamically according to Demeter certification. But it’s not just individual growers who are working for a greener future. The Regional Wine Committee Kamptal (RWK), representing 550 wineries in the region, agreed in October on new regulations that will apply from 2025 onward. All wines labeled “Kamptal,” from regional to single vineyard, must be certified organic or sustainable.

Climate is, of course, always a part of the equation, and this area has a continental climate. A marked diurnal shift helps preserve acidity and freshness in the grapes. The soil is well drained and the dry conditions in turn create fewer problems with fungi. Riesling grapes ripen well, while maintaining good acidity levels. Alcohol levels can reach 13.5%, but the wines are well balanced. Willi Bründlmayer of Weingut Bründlmayer, who holds a 10-ha parcel of Riesling in the middle of Heiligenstein, has favorite vintages from both cool and warm years. When tasting older vintages, he recalls, the Heiligenstein Rieslings from low acid years maintained their structure, aging gracefully despite the lack of immediate freshness. 

These factors all fuel the unmistakable Heiligenstein fruit. Questions of ‘how’ bring us closer to faith than science.

Greater than the sum of its parts

The Heiligenstein hill has seen centuries of cultivation and today its notable hectarage is divided among as many as 50 different owners. A few of the producers present with more than one bottling, often hailing from old vines. 

In 2020, the Austrian winegrower organization Österreichische Traditionsweingüter (ÖTW) divided Ried Heiligenstein (34.9 ha) into two subdivisions. ÖTW chairman Michael Moosbrugger says what is currently known as Heiligenstein in the past had many names, but the most famous was always Heiligenstein. In the process of classifying the Kamptal vineyards, Heiligenstein was too large. In order for producers to differentiate between separate bottlings, the parcels known in the past as Steinwand and Rotfels (or Rotletten) could be made into new subdivisions of Heiligenstein. Moosbrugger also states that, in the future, these subdivisions will become separate entities, split off from Ried Heiligenstein. Ried Heiligenstein-Rotfels (5.3 ha) lies on the eastern end and Ried Heiligenstein-Steinwand (8 ha) on the northern end, facing mostly west. 2020 was the first vintage these two Rieden have been bottled and released onto the market.

A Riesling belt of liquid gold

In my experience, wines from Heiligenstein can be a bit closed upon release, they need time to reveal their inherent generosity and richness. Given a couple of years, an incomparable, irresistible fruity elegance emerges.

My seven bottles of Heiligenstein came from the 2020 vintage, a year which was less hot and dry in Austria than in many other European wine producing countries. Kamptal’s cool, wet spring gave way to good vegetative growth. Temperatures remained moderate throughout summer. A late bud break at the end of April resulted in uneven ripening, a silver lining that ultimately saved them from the frost that came earlier that month. Rain during harvest led to heavy selection. Compared to the neighboring vintages 2019 and 2021, 2020 is a classic vintage. 2019 shows a riper, richer fruit profile in the wines, due to heat spikes in the summer. 2021 had a long growing season, by contrast, where timely weather and temperatures delivered a healthy crop with little need to sort out damaged or unripe fruit. This resulted in a bit more detail and elegance than 2020. 

And then there was the wine.

Each of these bottles benefitted from being open 24 hours. The first thing that struck me was the tactile, dominant acidity. Curiously, the Jurtschitsch and Hirsch wines, both under screw cap, were the most open and approachable. Brundlmayer and Allram were predictable in their characteristic aromas and profile. Others showed their signature in the cellar.  I wrote down my initial impressions. Then I waited a few hours and repeated the process. I wanted to see whether the wines were more typical of the place or their maker. Would there be an unmistakable shining string linking the lineup? 

The wines from Heiligenstein shine and sparkle in a spectrum of light, in the old sense of the word. Through winemaking, yeast, fermentation vessels, and temperature, the stoniness of the site expresses itself in a multitude of ways. The wines I had from 2020 were of such a quality that I wouldn’t hesitate to buy more. And perhaps now is the time, before a possible Grosse Lage classification lifts the price tag.

2020 Heiligenstein: a tasting odyssey

Lorenz Allram

Starts with A, and was the first wine in my lineup. True to their style, the wine showed clean and fruit forward, with aromas of petrol and stone. The fruit was round and soft, and stayed that way over the course of the next few days. 

Ludwig Hiedler

Take on Heiligenstein 2020 is a bit messy at first, the structure is loose. But the next day it pulls itself together. This is something I often find in dry whites from volcanic soil, like Tokaji Furmint or Rangen Riesling from Alsace. There is a generous hint of sweet pear. Everything is clean, direct, and to the point.

Willi Bründlmayer

Style is familiar as I take the first sip. The Heiligenstein 2020 is crisp, intense, almost reductive, with a hint of petrol and fresh red apples. Twenty-four hours brings more minerality, lime, and a richer texture, but there is less continued development than in many of the others. 

Alwin Jurtschitsch

Style sent me down memory lane. Years earlier, winemaker Alwin launched his Wurzelwerk project, and this Heiligenstein had more than a few callbacks to the 2016 vintage. The soft and slightly understated style, filigreed and fine, showed beautifully both on opening and a day later. With time, the elements became even more harmonious, clearer and brighter, revealing a mesmerizing, lip-smacking acidity in the aftertaste. 

Fred Loimer

Opened to intense aromas and the creamy texture of lees. But where was the fruit? The wine rested for ten + ten months in cask, first in 600 liters, then large, neutral ones. The time in wood was likely in part responsible for the phenolic grip. The next day revealed a wholly different wine, as the elements found a beautiful balance.

Johannes Hirsch

Has long been an avid activist for screw caps. His Heiligenstein is no exception. The wine is open, the style is recognizable, and the texture is smooth and unctuous. Given time, the initial impressions of apples gave way to tropical hints of pineapple, and after 24 hours, a dark spice and stony sensation emerged. It is a powerful, rich, and loud wine, and I enjoy the message. The wine is hard not to like. 

Schloss Gobelsburg

Is an estate that has delivered many joyful moments in my wine glass. It feels warm and a bit tropical on the nose. Full-bodied and round on the palate, with a firm phenolic grip. A tad disappointing initially. But by the next day, the wine blossomed. The nose shows exotic sweet floral aromas, tropical fruits, and a rhyolite stoniness.  A bit compact, and in need of even more time.