Here’s the skinny on the “Brandstatt” vineyard in the town of Elsarn, as told by Peter: 

“Brandstatt is my recultivation project in the Spitzer Graben, the coolest area of the Wachau, at about 450 meters [~1500 feet] above sea level. The originally neglected mica-slate vineyard was gradually replanted with Riesling after the walls were repaired. My aim is to press an uncompromising wine on this original terraced vineyard, in which the terroir and an old winemaking tradition are more important than the grape variety. This may involve maceration as well as long aging in local acacia barrels.”

Brandstatt is one heck of a wine, and I say that without having tasted the 2019 vintage—I couldn’t justify cracking a bottle given our meager allocation. That said, I’ve enjoyed older bottles of Brandstatt in the past, plus, the ’21 tank sample at Peter’s winery was extraordinary, so a betting man can go all-in on the superb 2019 vintage. In my experience, Bradnstatt is always a wine of restrained power and opulence with scintillating minerality always at the fore. It should be consumed in Burgundy stems at 55 degrees over the course of 2-3 days.