Franz’s sprightly grandmother is always the inspiration for this cuvée. When she was born in 1921, their hometown of Horitschon was part of Hungary; but by the end of the year, the town was part of Austria thanks to the volatile politics of the region. To celebrate her duality, Franz blended Saint Laurent and Pinot Noir grown on limestone in Austria, with Syrah grown on Gneiss in Hungary. The vineyards are only a twenty minute drive from one another, but the terroirs are quite different. The grapes are whole cluster pressed into neutral puncheon where the juice ferments and ages for eight months on lees. 

Weingut Weninger

Franz Weninger lives and works just south of the Neusiedlersee in Austria's Burgenland. His biodynamic estate has vineyards both in Austria and Hungary. Franz is incredibly dedicated to the land he farms. His father understood the importance of organic farming and revitalizing local grape varieties. Still, Franz has taken it to the next level by converting the entire estate to biodynamics and replanting many sites to the appropriate traditional grape varieties: Blaufrankisch and Furmint. Despite his conviction, he refuses to pull out his father’s old-vine Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah – as long as Franz Sr. is alive, the vines will remain.

Their location at the southern end of the Neusiedlersee in Burgenland permitted them to purchase land across the border in Hungary. The Sopron region was once part of Burgenland and contained some of their favourite sites. Franz took over this part of the estate early in his career after graduating from Klosterneuburg and travelling the world on internships. In 2011, he took over production on the Austrian side of the border and had really fine-tuned the winemaking.