Johannnes Zillinger’s Velue line, named after both the old name of his village, Velm-Goetzendorf, and for the local willow trees, has been re-booted for the 2021 vintage, with more old vines fruit from top estate vineyards. This wine is made from 40+ year-old Zweigelt from three estate vineyards in the Steinthal and Sonnberg districts, with northern, southern, and hilltop exposures, planted on loess and lime-sandstone. The vineyards are farmed biodynamically and are Demeter-certified. After harvest in mid-September the wine was naturally fermented with only indigenous yeasts and kept on the skins for five days in large, open-topped, stainless-steel vats. The must was slowly and gently pressed and, when fermentation completed, the young wine rested on the lees for nine months in used 700- and 500-liter oak barrels before being bottled with no fining and no filtration.
This is a delicious, deep, and brambly example of the variety that features fresh cherries and forest berries on the nose with a refreshing and juicy palate. Johannes calls this his “all-day red wine” and “cherries in a bottle.”
--- Field Blend