Nittnaus is a family-owned Biodynamic estate in the town of Gols, in the Neusiedlersee wine region in Burgenland of Austria. The family has been there since 1684. It used to be a mixed farm. They make a wide range of wines, including a Leithaberg DAC. Now 90% red.

Owner: Anita and Hans Nittnaus and their sons Andreas and Hans Michael.  The current Nittnaus estate was established by Hans’ grandfather Johann Nittnaus in 1927, and was taken over by Anita & Hans in 1985. In a relatively short period of time, Nittnaus became a leading winery of the Neusiedlersee wine region and one of  the best wine producers of Austria. In 1990, Hans Nittnaus created the name “Pannobile” (which see).

Vineyards – Neusiedlersee (Burgenland): 20ha. 50% on the Leithaberg, 50% on other side. Now 90% red. The vineyards are situated in Burgenland, on the northern shore of lake Neusiedl: the eastern side around the town of Gols (clay/loam/gravel/sand) and the western side around the town of Jois on the Leithaberg (Leitha mountains, slate/limestone). Almost two thirds of this area is planted with red wine, in particular with autochthonous varieties. The winery focuses on red wines and the main varieties are Blaufränkisch, Zweigelt and Merlot. The wines represent their unique Pannonian style, characterized by elegance, complexity, and longevity. 20ha. 50% on Leithaberg, 50% on other side. Now 90% red.  They pay particular attention to the Zweigelt, also to Blaufränkisch. International varieties such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah are also firmly rooted in suitable locations. Thanks to long monitoring and the careful selection of vineyard locations the owners can produce Grüner Veltliner, Muskat Ottonel and Welschriesling wines. 

Soils: Limestone, slate, sandy clay,” they told me in March 2017.

Viticulture: Mix of cover crops and spontaneous native vegetation.

Biodynamics: In 2007 Anita and Hans Nittnaus began with Biodynamics with guidance from  Dr Andrew Lorand. “Nettle and 508 teas. Stir by hand 400 litre barrel. Manure for compost from cows in the national park. Both native grasses and cover crops,’ by email March 2017.

Certification: 2009: The first official year in certified conversion with Lacon/RESPEKT was 2009. The first fully certified organic/biodynamic vintage was 2011.

Sparkling wines

Frizzante Rosé:

White wines

Heideboden Weiß: 2009 100% Pinot Blanc from the Kellern vineyard of the Heideboden area. Warm weather in August. 12.5% alcohol, 55.6 g/l acidity, and 3.1 g/l residual sugar. Hand-picked in September. Spontaneous fermentation, Aged in 1.200 litre barrel. Bottled in April 2010.

Welchriesling:

Gelber Muskateller: Made from Gelber Muskateller (Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains).

Muskat Ottonel:

Sauvignon Blanc:

Leithaberg DAC:

Chardonnay: Chardonnay from the warm Kurzberg vineyard.

Chardonnay, Classic:

Chardonnay, Reserve:

Chardonnay, Selection:

Chardonnay, Freudshofer: Limestone soil. | 2014 Creamy barrel-fermented style )Manincor 24 June 2016).

Chardonnay, Heideboden: White wine in the Heideboden has been made even longer than red (which see), and because we are committed traditionalists we also produce a Heideboden white from the old indigenous grape of Pinot Blanc as well as Chardonnay.

Chardonnay Leithaberg DAC: 2009 The Leithaberg Chardonnay DAC 2009 stems from the Freudshofer, a south-easterly exposition with clayey shell-limestone soil. Typically a cool, humid and late hot year, it shows full body, fruity elegance, fresh acidity at 13.0% alcohol, 1.9g/l acidity and 6.2g/l, residual sugar. It was aged 10 months in 800 liter barrels on the yeast and bottled in August 2010.

Grüner Veltliner, Heideboden: Natural yeast fermented example from a limestone vineyard on the west of the lake.

Grüner Veltliner vom Leithageberge: 2008 The Grüner Veltliner 2008 comes from the 20-year-old vines of the Satzen vineyards which is sandy clay and slate-dominated. It shows typical fruit, lively and fresh with tight acidity. 11.5% alcohol, 6.3 g/l acidity and 4.5 g/l residual sugar. It was fermented naturally, aged in stainless steel and bottled in August 2009.

Pinot Blanc, Kalk und Schiefer: 2009 The Pinot Blanc Kalk & Schiefer 2009 comes from the limestone-dominated Freudshofer vineyard near Jois, as well as the slate-soiled Eisner vineyard near the village of Purbach. 13.0% alcohol, 6.3 g/l acidity and 1.4g/l residual sugar. It was hand-picked, fermented spontaneously, aged 10 months in oak. Bottled in August 2010. It now shows complex, deep fruit, on the palate dense and mineral with a captivating finish. Perfectly suited for fish, poultry and meat, with an ageing potential up to 12 years.

Sauvignon Blanc Obere Weiss: We use the cool, moist “Obere Wies” vineyard for the aromatically fresh Sauvignon Blanc.

Rosé wines

Rose Zweigelt:

Red wines

Blaufränkisch/Sant Laurent Selection:  Not tasted.

Burgenland Rot: The owners say ‘we use the term ‘Burgenland’ to refer to our classical entry level wines, introducing the climate, soil and character of the Burgenland in a charming and sympathetic way.’ 2007 60% Blaufränkisch from the Leitha Mountains, 40% Zweigelt from the Heideboden. 2007 was an exceptional red wine vintage. 12.5% alcohol, 5.5g/l acidity, 2.6g/l residual RS.

Comandor: The owner’s say ‘We took over the winery from my parents in 1985. We drank Bordeaux, Burgundy, Barolo and the like. We planted Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It was hip to be international. But in Ungerberg, our best vineyard at that time, we were ready for an experiment. The 1990 harvest provided two remarkable wines: the Cabernet Sauvignon from the Edelgrund vineyard, and this Blaufränkisch from the Ungerberg. It didn’t take us very long to realize that these two varieties were a match made in heaven. That’s how the Comondor was created, the winery’s top blend, named after an historic Hungarian dog breed. Thanks to this wine, the Comondor, and its top results in domestic and international tastings, we are considered among the top red wine wineries in Austria. Nevertheless, the Comondor has always been a wine of constant evolution, and it gradually became  more traditional, elegant and subtle. Since 1998, the smooth and round Merlot has replaced the herbal, broad Cabernet Sauvignon as its main variety. Since 2004, the Comondor consists of Merlot, Blaufränkisch and the traditional Austrian variety Zweigelt.

Famos:

Nit’ana:

Pannobile:

Neusiedlersee DAC Reserve Zweigelt Luckenwald:

Leithaberg DAC:

Heideboden Rot: 2008 Zweigelt (60%), Blaufränkisch (30%), Merlot (5%) und St. Laurent (5%) zusammen.

Salzberg: Not tasted.

Blaufränkisch wines

Blaufränkisch, Altenberg:

Blaufränkisch, Alte Reben: Limestone.

Blaufränkisch, Edelgrund:

Blaufränkisch, Exquisit:

Blaufränkisch, Kalk und Schiefer: The Blaufränkisch Kalk & Schiefer comes, as its name implies, from the slate and limestone sites of the Leitha Mountains. | 2007 The textbook Blaufränkisch vintage 2007 provided excellent conditions for this elegant and lively wine: 12.9% alcohol, 1.9g/l acidity and 6.2g/l residual sugar.

Blaufränkisch, Nordrand:

Blaufränkisch Tannenberg [a grosslage]: Tannenberg is a grosslage. Part N- and S-facing. Near the small village of Jois, on the north-eastern end (or beginning) of the Leitha Mountains you can find, close to the lake and detached from the rest of the mountains, two hills: the Tannenberg and the Hackelsberg. The south side of the Tannenberg, which is called Jungenberg, faces Lake Neusiedl and is one of the warmest vineyards of the state of Burgenland. The soil of the Jungenberg consists mainly of slate, which is interspersed with limestone. Unlike the Jungenberg, the north side of the Tannenberg, which is called Buschenberg, is cooler and windier. Our aim is to combine the powerful body of the southside with the finesse and the elegance of the north side. A couple of acres of the Tannenberg consist of old vines, and they are the most important factor the wine’s extraordinary character. 2012 Had some days over 40ºC. Some reduction. Bit lumpen and blurred. And green at Tenuta Manicor 24th June 2016 in the morning, then lots of crunch and extract, blacker fruit compared to the Blaufränkisch Leithaberg at Manincor 24 June 2016 in the afternoon.

Pannobile: It all started in the 1980s. The shadows of the wine scandal were still hanging over us. We, the parties concerned, had nothing to do with it as such, but felt a lot of anger and ambition to go out there and show the world that we are different. The only problem was: Back then, Austria as a red wine country simply didn’t exist. Bordeaux, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon were those flashy names, and we did everything we could just to belong. It wasn’t until 1990, when we were curious, if top quality in red wine was also possible with our indigenous Austrian varieties. And because we strongly felt that origin and quality is top priority, we created Pannobile’, a neologism out of Pannonia (the old roman name for our region) and Nobile for the highest quality possible. Once established, Pannobile is still going strong after 20 years. But Pannobile is not only our top blend out of Austrian varieties. It is also a group of 9 dedicated winemakers, a geographically defined area, but above all, a synonym for the greatness of red wine from the winegrowing area of Neusiedlersee. | 2013 Well styled oak and fruit, very good restaurant wine at Manincor 24 June 2016.

Pinot Noir, Kurzburg:

Fux: St Laurent: 2015 Nice and chewy, raspberry and blackberry fruit, good restaurant wine at Manincor 24 June 2016.

Zweigelt Classic:

Zweigelt Sunset:

Zweigelt Exquisit:

Zweigelt Heideboden: There is almost nothing worse for the vine than the infamous waterlogging in shallow vineyards. And although the Heideboden is a vast shallow site stretching towards Lake Neusiedl, its sandy, gravely soils which are permeable to water prevent this from being the case. The big advantage of the Heideboden is its consistency. No matter how bad the vintage, how horrible the climatic conditions, it produces every year very good to excellent wines. That is why we started with our first Heideboden in 1994. A full-bodied red which can be drunk easily as well as cellared for a couple of years. Its basis is Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch, rounded off with a little bit of Merlot. It is aged in small, used barrels and makes a lot of fun to drink. Uncomplicated and straight-forward.

Zweigelt Zwickl:

Sweet wines

When it comes to wine, we are prone to indulge and pursue our passions very ambitiously. That’s why we vinify in those years allowing it, our rare Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) and Beerenauslese (BA). It would be a shame to miss the opportunity. Although those sweets are very typical for the region, we are normally not associated with it. Once we decided to pursue sweet wines, we became dedicated to it, as is the case with everything we do.

Beerenaus: Not tasted.

Muskat: Not tasted.

TBA Exquisit: 2013 Not tasted.

TBA Welschriesling: 2000 Not tasted.

TBA vom Zweigelt: Not tasted.

Eis: 2009 Not tasted.

Eiswein: 2012 Not tasted.

Contact

Weingut Anita & Hans Nittnaus

Untere Hauptstrasse 49,

7122 Gols, Austria

Tel+43 02173.2248 | Website: www.nittnaus.wine