Gut Oggau 'Joschuari' Burgenland 2021

We often say that a wine has a certain personality, but few go so far as to give wines names and human backstories. Stephanie and Eduard Tscheppe decided to do just that, after getting to know the wines from the vineyards and 17th-century winery they took over in 2007. At that point, the vines had been left to their own devices for 20 years; in restoring the property, Stephanie and Eduard began gently tending the abandoned vines biodynamically. They have crafted a family of wines from those vines, including grandparents (two single-vineyard cuvées from older vines), parents, and grandchildren. The family tree includes descriptions of the “people'' and their inevitably complex relationships. ‘Joschuari’ - son of Mechtild and Berholdi, brother of Emmeram and Timotheus, husband to Wiltrude - is the embodiment of a dapper diplomat; suave and charismatic with a steel-tongue, dry humor, and quick wit. The blaufränkisch for this hails from limestone and slate soils and are fermented in used 500 and 1200-liter barrels. After a 3 week maceration, the wine goes through elevage in the same barrels for about 12 months, with no batonnage. Unfined, unfiltered, and zero sulfur, it is a lesson in purity and minimalism. Mineral driven, with well-structured tannin and firm acidity, it offers itself as the perfect complement to a lamb stew or hearty goulash. Organically grown, certified biodynamic, low-intervention/natural wine.