SETZER GRUNER VELTLINER RIED KIRCHENGARTEN RES 2018

White pepper, ripe mango, and rose petal in the glass — a profile driven by Ried Kirchengarten's sandstone soils, the only parcel in Setzer's holdings not planted on the chalky loam typical of Hohenwarth. Sitting at roughly 360 meters above sea level — the highest vineyard in the village and cooler than Setzer's other single-vineyard sites — the parcel produces a more tensile, lifted style of Weinviertel DAC Reserve. Fermented spontaneously with ambient yeast in stainless steel and aged sur lie through late April, the wine is dry and full-bodied with an astringent, mineral finish. Setzer, founded in 1705 and sustainability-certified, plants at 8,000 vines per hectare — well above the regional norm — to concentrate fruit and extend vine longevity.