Veyder-Malberg Riesling Buschenberg 2022
We have 5 in stock (Inventory is live and accurate)
The Land
Ask most Wachau fans about Weissenkirchen Riesling and they will name Achleiten or Klaus. Buschenberg sits directly beside Klaus and has spent decades in its shadow. It is a band of very steep south- to southeast-facing terraces on the Danube's left bank at 330 to 430 meters, in the warmer middle stretch of the valley. Bedrock and topsoil are mica schist, a flaky, quick-draining rock that keeps yields low and pushes the roots deep. The river reflects heat back onto the terraces by day, and cool air drains down from the forest above at night. That gives this Riesling from the Wachau more ripeness than the estate's cold Spitzer Graben sites while keeping a firm mineral spine.
The Wine
The Veyder-Malberg Riesling Buschenberg 2022 is 100 percent Riesling from vines planted in 1979. The grapes macerate on their skins for up to 24 hours, less in ripe years, then press over six to eight hours and settle for a day before a spontaneous fermentation that peaks at 24°C. Cold cellar temperatures block malolactic. The wine ages nine months, mostly in old 640-liter acacia barrels from the Austrian cooper Stockinger, and is filtered but not fined, with the first sulfur added at bottling. Acacia rounds the texture without adding oak flavor. Expect ripe white peach, lime zest and quince, crushed stone and a touch of smoke, then a dry, firm body and a long, salty finish. 2022 brought a scorching July and early August, then a wet September that demanded strict sorting, and the wines are lower in alcohol with good acidity.
The People
Peter Veyder-Malberg came to wine late. He worked as an art director at an advertising agency until the corporate life wore thin, then left for Napa, working the 1991 harvest at Pine Ridge and taking night classes at Napa Valley College. Back in Austria in 1993 he started as a cellar worker at Graf Hardegg in the Weinviertel and stayed 14 years, becoming its winemaker and converting the estate to biodynamics from the 2005 vintage. In 2008, in his late forties, he founded his own estate in Spitz in a converted former slaughterhouse, buying up old hand-worked terraces scattered along the valley. He farms organically, without irrigation, and has long judged ripeness by tasting seeds rather than chasing sugar readings.
Food Pairing
Serve around 52 to 55 degrees, and decant it for an hour if you open it young. Seared scallops with brown butter and a little lemon zest suit its ripe peach and firm acidity. Roast pork loin with apples and caraway, the Austrian Sunday dinner, works because the acid cuts the fat and the fruit meets the apples. Try spicy Sichuan green beans with ground pork, where the wine's cool fruit calms the chili. A wedge of aged Comté or Bergkäse with walnuts plays against the salty finish. This is a Riesling for the dinner you plan days ahead, and it will reward a few more years in your cellar.
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The Wachau, widely considered Austria's premier wine region, is a breathtakingly beautiful valley along the Danube River, renowned for its powerful and dry expressions of both Grüner Veltliner and Riesling. These two grapes are the stars here, producing wines that are typically full-bodied and structured, yet always maintain a signature Austrian freshness. The Wachau is unique in its own ripeness scale to categorize its wines: Steinfeder, a rarely seen lighter style, Federspiel, representing a balanced ripeness with vibrant acidity, and Smaragd, indicating riper, more exotic fruit, sometimes with a touch of botrytis depending on the producer's style. This region, with its steep, terraced vineyards and unique microclimates, is home to a concentration of Austria's very best producers, crafting wines that are benchmarks for both Grüner Veltliner and Riesling globally.
Austria - Wachau
Riesling is a truly noble grape, known for its incredibly high acidity and a flavor profile that can range from bone dry to lusciously sweet. Germany is its heartland, and it's responsible for some of the world's most age-worthy examples, but Riesling also thrives in Austria, where it usually is dry. In Alsace, it takes on a slightly richer texture, while in parts of Australia, like the Clare and Eden Valleys, it displays a uniquely powerful and lime-tinged aromatic profile. This is a grape that has no problem showcasing its origins, and it's a fantastic example of how one variety can show many different expressions, each with its own unique appeal.
