Heinrich Hartl St. Laurent Classic, 2018

Like many wineries in Austria, the Hartl farm began as a mixed crop farm. In the last few decades it has turned towards a clear focus on grapes with roughly 40 acres currently planted. The current caretakers of the Hartl farm are Heinrich Hartl III and his wife Maria-Sophie. Heinrich and Marie-Sophie have traveled the world of wine and possess a very open-minded perspective. They value the exchanging of views with colleagues, business partners and friends both at the winery and around the globe. With their own wines, they try to capture the beauty and richness of the Thermenregion all the while trying to make it accessible to wine lovers seeking something truly unique. To this end the Thermenregion is very distinct in terms of the grape varietals that flourish. The primary white varietals are Rotgipfler and Zierfandler. These grapes are unique and almost exclusive to the Thermenregion. While Sankt Laurent and Pinot Noir are the focus in the region as far as red varietals. This bottle is an example of the unique Pinor Noir that comes from the region. You’ll get cerry, red-fruit flavors with some smokiness and pepper — more as an aroma than a taste. Your instinct might be to pair this with a hearty beef roast or something gamey. While that wouldn’t be bad, with this bottle leaning toward the lighter side a roast chicken may be more fitting.