DANCH & GRANGER SELECTIONS
Importer of Memorable Wines from the New Old World of Eastern and Central Europe
Importer of Memorable Wines from the New Old World of Eastern and Central Europe

Geyerhof, Kremstal, Austria

"Preserving nature and utilizing the vitality of the soil” is Ilse Maier’s motto at Geyerhof. There is a venerable history of making wine at Geyerhof but for many years now, the family has been managing vineyards organically, focusing on a sound eco-system and healthy soils.

Winery map

At a Glance

1600
http://www.Geyerhof.at
Kremstal
Cool Pannonian
Loess, loam and primary rocks
280m
Southern bank of the Danube
Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Zweigelt
20 hectares
Demeter Certified
Natural
Maier Family
The Maier Family

The People

400 Years in wine. Ilse Maier’s mother’s family has lived in the hilltop village of Oberfucha since the 16th century where the family began in agriculture and brickworks. In the 17th century, Maria Theresia, archduchess of Austria, granted the property owner, whose name was Geyer, a concession to transport wine on the Danube in trade with Hungary and other regions along the river. The ship on the wine label refers to this trade.

In the cellar
The stairs going Into the old cellar

Today, the winery is housed in a 16th-century structure built of brick, with cellars beneath it constructed between the early 1300’s and the late 1700’s. Among these, the “French cellar” where Napoleon’s army stored their wine rations during a battle in nearby Wagram.

Geyerhof bottles in cellar
Old bottles in the cellar

The room’s perfect temperature and humidity make it an ideal place to archive the best of each vintage. In 1986, after studying agriculture in Vienna and spending time in San Rapael, Argentina, Ilse joined her father in wine production. Today she works in the vineyards and the cellar, aided by her son Josef to produce wines reflective of their site.


Josef Maier in the vineyard
Josef Maier in the vineyard

Vineyard

Geyerhof organically farms roughly 20 hectares located on the hillsides around the winery. Promotion of beneficial species, sowing of nitrogen-absorbing plants, use of compost and rock flour for plant nutrition, and abstaining from the use of all pesticides, insecticides, botrytis and weed control substances as well as soluble mineral fertilizer are all standard practices.

Rosensteig Vineyard
The Rosensteig vineyard

Loess and alluvial soil east of the winery (Gaisberg and Rosensteig), primary rock to the northwest (Steinleithn and Kirchensteig), and loamy soil to the south (Hoher Rain). 60% of the vineyard area is planted to Grüner Veltliner, 20% to Riesling, and the balance to Zweigelt, Weissburgunder, Chardonnay, and Gelber Muskateller. Recent clonal selections came from the famous Knoll vineyards. Asked if biodynamic viticulture has ever seemed to be a next step, Ilse says she doesn’t believe it to be necessary—bio is not a “step up” from organic, just a different approach.


Tasting with Josef Maier
Tasting with Josef Maier

Winemaking

Fruit is handpicked and strictly sorted in the vineyard. Healthy clusters are pressed whole, and the must is intentionally oxidized in the press tray resulting in deeper flavors and greater age-ability. Wines are fermented and aged in 3,000 liter temperature controlled stainless steel tanks.

Geyerhof spotless winery
The modern cellar

The slow, even fermentation never exceeds 22 °C. A small percentage of whites and the red wine are aged in neutral oak tanks or barrels. Spontaneous fermentation is preferred, but never at the expense of quality. Malolactic fermentation is avoided in the whites. No other additions are used except for sulfur before bottling. Wines remain on the lees until just before settling, gentle filtration and bottling.

Geyerhof wedding barrel
Ilse's wedding barrel
 
GeyerhofGrüner Veltliner Gaisberg 2019
White Wine , Organic
Grüner Veltliner;
13.7%
1.5 g/l
5.3 g/l
Gaisberg is the complete opposite of the Steinleithn site. A mere 100m away, Gaisberg is characterized by impressive, deep loess layers which provide the perfect setting for lime-rich, well-aerated and hummus-rich soils, making it a textbook Veltliner site. With the Danube in the background, this is where concentrated, spicy and creamy wines are created. The wine was hand harvested at the end of October in small boxes, whole bunch pressing, slow fermentation in stainless steel tanks, extended period on the full lees for 19 month

GeyerhofGrüner Veltliner Hoftstudien 2022
White Wine , Organic
Grüner Veltliner;
12.3%
3.4 g/l
5.6 g/l
This vintage marks the 16th generational handoff for the family. Josef and Maria are officially taking over and this wine marks part of this transition. It’s also timed with some bureaucratic wine law changes that have taken away the single vineyard name of Gaisberg. The deep loess soils here produce grippy, dense and structured fruit often able to be harvested in mid to late October even in warmer years. The decision was made to take the Grüner from Gaisberg and create something new under the name of “Hofstudien,” or essentially “Geyerhof studies.” From one vineyard they’re using 4 techniques to amplify what they know to already be there. The basket press brings phenolics, the Hamburger method (inspired by Bott Frigyes!) adds salt, the carbonic adds fruit, and the extended maceration acts as the final seasoning. The resulting Grüner is a new interpretation of the site through an unfiltered and layered lens. The label is designed by a local Viennese artist named FLOWSOFLY who sought out the family after drinking their wines.

GeyerhofGrüner Veltliner Hoher Rain 2021
White Wine , Organic
Grüner Veltliner;
13%
4 g/l
7 g/l
The mineral rich “Hoher Rain” comes from the sandy, loamy, south-east facing vineyard it is named for. At the top of the hill outside the village of Oberfucha, “hoher” means “top” in German. These well drained soils rich with organic matter lend both minerality and intensity to this Grüner Veltliner. On the palate, slate and clay notes are accented with white pepper and exotic ripe fruit. High toned but playful, lush but with serious cut. For pairing, take the classic asparagus route, or instead try it with well seasoned braised pork or North African spiced dishes featuring caraway and cumin. This is a wine that will continually evolve in either the glass during a meal or well stored in the bottle.

GeyerhofGrüner Veltliner Rosensteig 2020
White Wine , Organic
Grüner Veltliner;
11.9%
3 g/l
6.4 g/l
This has been a staple for us since we began working with Geyerhof. From the vineyard, you can look up at the Stift Göttweig Abbey and down at the Danube River. To your back is buffer of forest. The Danube gives the wind to lessen the disease pressure, the forest buffer keeps it cool for acidity, and the exposure is more than enough for ripeness. The soil is a mixture of gravel and sand. Grapes are hand picked, whole cluster pressed, then aged on the less until February. More the stony and citrus side of Grüner rather than the grassy and Sauvignon Blanc end of the spectrum.

GeyerhofGrüner Veltliner Steinleithn 2019
White Wine , Organic
Grüner Veltliner;
13.4%
1.1 g/l
6.1 g/l
The soil is very poor on the southwest facing and 1.4 hectare Steinleithn single vineyard. With only a thin layer of topsoil, the name is easily earned - “Stein” means “stone.” The meat of the soil is rich in feldspar, quartz and mica and often doesn’t get ripe until November. Typically, the rule of thumb is Grüner likes water and Riesling doesn’t. This site splits the difference. The later pick fermented dry adds around 14% of alcohol, but the fruit is far more savory and acidity is by no means compromised. This isn’t the easy substitute for Sauvignon Blanc kind of Grüner, this is something to drink with a healthy portion of Tafelspitz (boiled beef) and any kind of roasted foul. Despite being lucky to offer the 2018, this is something that I wish we could afford to age even more.

GeyerhofGrüner Veltliner StockWerk 2022
White Wine , Organic
Grüner Veltliner;
12.7%
4 g/l
6.1 g/l
The StockWerk wines pull from the younger vineyards in and around the village of Oberfucha and are usually from granite and gravel soils. These are also the cooler sites buffered by forests, grazing land for their cattle, and North-East facing. These are very much Heuriger/Buschenschank wines to us, in that they are made to have fresh with plenty of accordion and comfort foods. They are bright, happy, lower alcohol, and table wines in the best possible sense.

GeyerhofRiesling Johannisberg 2019
White Wine , Organic
Riesling;
13.5%
6.4 g/l
5.9 g/l
The 50-70 year old vines at Johannisberg are located near the Goldberg and Rosensteig single vineyards and dominated by 15 million-year-old sandy calcareous and conglomerate rock soils. Yields are often very low, but the fruit character is extremely dense and doesn’t drop acidity even when picked as late as early November. As with the majority of the Geyerhof wines, they are often the last family still harvesting fruit. The 2019 was whole bunch pressed, intentionally oxidized (browned) in the press tray, fermented in stainless steel and then left on the lees until February. The 6 g/l of RS adds roundness without obvious sweetness and there’s still 13.5% alcohol to tie the whole thing together. It has all the freshness you’d expect from an Austrian Riesling, but definitely has one toe in the Grosses Gewächs pool as well.

GeyerhofRiesling Kirchensteig 2019
White Wine , Organic
Riesling;
13.3%
1.5 g/l
6.7 g/l
This vineyard is the first impression you get when pulling up to the property. The soil is mostly granite which you can see flicker in the light and results in wines with lower alcohol and a kiss of residual Sugar to balance out the intense acidity. The Kirchensteig was a part of the first 2010 Erste Lage (Frist Growth) classification where for nearly twenty years, the Association of Austrian Traditionsweingüter has been classifying the very best vineyards in Austria. Hand picked, slowly pressed whole bunches, fermented in stainless steel and aged for 19 months on the lees.

GeyerhofZweigelt StockWerk 2020
Red Wine , Organic
Zweigelt;
11.8%
2.9 g/l
5.5 g/l
The StockWerk wines pull from the younger vineyards in and around the village of Oberfucha and are usually from granite and gravel soils. These are also the cooler sites buffered by forests, grazing land for their cattle, and north-east facing. These are very much Heuriger/Buschenschank wines to us, in that they are made to have fresh with plenty of accordion and comfort foods. They are bright, happy, lower alcohol, and table wines in the best possible sense.