Burgenland lies in the most Eastern part of Austria, close to the Hungarian border, where the climate is just a touch warmer than the rest of the country, ensuring the production of high quality red and creamy whites. Even though the region is already known for its high-quality red wines, wine maker Paul Achs finds a way to distinguish himself by providing the finest tannins, swirling elegance and the perfect interaction between spiciness, minerality, fruit characters and complexity for his Zweigelt, Syrah, St.-Laurent and of course Blaufränkisch! The honour was all mine, when I was able to explore these wines during an online tasting.
The vineyards and winery, located in the town of Gols, have been operating by the Achs family for several generations now and has always been working with the most utter respect for everything nature has given us. Even though Paul Achs did not receive a certification for biodynamic winegrowing until 2006, no herbicides or other chemicals have ever been used and Paul has essentially been working in the biodynamic way since before the certification. In 2006 he actually co-founded the Respekt BioDYN, a group of winemakers that work according to biodynamic way and was one of the first winemakers to receive the certification.
Burgenland enjoys a continental climate, due to the closeness of the Neusiedlersee, which makes this region focus more on the production of red wines, but still ensuring the elegance. That said the region has the perfect conditions of growing the Burgundy grapes like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but also in perfecting the wines coming from the local Austrian varieties like Zweigelt, St.-Laurent and Blaufränkisch, and in the case of Paul Achs, Syrah!
Today Paul Achs produces up to 20% white wine and 80% red wines.
The white wines will focus mainly on the Chardonnay, even though there is some Muscat, Scheurebe and Müller-Thurgau planted as well. The Chardonnay tasted was a beautiful expression of minerality and the terroir of Burgenland, along with a creamy mouthfeel and a level of acidity that lingers long into the aftertaste.
Zweigelt is a typical Austrian grape and is one of the most well-known red varieties of the country, famous for its red raspberry and peppery chocolate notes. It is the child of the Blaufränkisch and the St. Laurent grapes. Paul’s Zweigelt presents itself at first with an overwhelming sensation of earthy characters such as dried leaves like black currant leaf or dried herbs like hay. On the palate the Zweigelt shows us more of its raspberry fruit and liquorice notes. Serve it chilled to get the best results!
The St.- Laurent does hold a touch of this earthiness as well as very elegant notes of minerality, along with fresh herbs and vegetables like thyme and fennel. Beautiful blackberries interact with the ripe and soft tannins in the long aftertaste. St. Laurent is the child of Pinot Noir and another unknown parent. Most likely the grape originates from the Alsace region in France and found its way to Austria through Germany.
That the climate, due to the proximity of the shallow lake, provides the region to grow more red varieties has always been a granted given. However, the climate does enable to growth of a particular Rhône-Valley grape, the Syrah! Paul his Syrah displays the most elegant touch of spiciness like green peppercorn or cracked white pepper, along with ripe notes of blackcurrant, spiced red plums and a touch of lavender. The Syrah is planted on the top of the hillside, overlooking the town of Gols. The top mainly consists of sandy soil, leading to the delicate, elegant character of the wine. Serving slightly chilled does wonders for this Syrah!
At long last we come to the Pannobile, the signature wine of Paul Achs! A perfect marriage between Blaufränkisch and Zweigelt giving surprising long aging potential. The grapes ferment spontaneously in used barrels, so the oak influence is kept to a minimum. Grapes are coming from the middle of the hillside, facing the village, where the soil consists mostly of limestone and chalk. Retaining water, so no irrigation will be needed. Complex, yet elegant notes of spices interact with ripe red fruit characters such as blackcurrant and blackberry, mineral notes and dried herbs such as black tea and tobacco, finishing with a vivid long aftertaste. This wine truly shows the potential of a blend between Austria’s most renowned red varieties!
Paul Achs truly redefines the wine growing culture in Burgenland, and relying mostly on everything nature has to offer in order to create subtle and elegant, yet powerful wines with the potential of a long shelf life!
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