Austria | Burgenland | Judith Beck
Judith Beck
Wines
Summary
The Judith Beck estate is based in the Burgenland commune of Gols, in the Neusiedlersee region, on the eastern – and warmest — side of the Lake Neusiedl, at the border of Hungary. Gols is part of the larger Burgenland region in easternmost Austria, which enjoys a very warm climate defined by the Pannonian plain to the east and the Lake. Lake Neusiedl’s depth is only 1.5 meters and its water temperature can reach 90 degrees F. in the summer. This is Austria’s warmest wine growing area, the first to harvest, and the production center of its finest full-bodied, dry red wines.
Judith’s parents, Matthias and Christine Beck, founded the family estate in 1976. Judith Beck made her first vintage in 2001 and in 2004 she assumed full control of the winery. In 2007, Judith converted the entire estate to Biodynamic as naturalness and identity are the qualities that Judith Beck wants to see and to show in her wines. Judith aptly summarizes the philosophy of the estate:
Judith presently cultivates 20 hectares of vines in the vineyard sites of Altenberg, Gabarinza, Salzberg and Schafleiten. 70% of the area is planted to red varieties – Zweigelt, Blaufrankisch, St. Laurent, Pinot Noir --with the remaining 30% planted to white varieties – Welschriesling, Neuburger, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay. Vines are planted at high densities of up to 7,000 vines per hectare to limit yields and ensure ripe fruit at harvest time. Soils range from sand, loam and clay on the lower vineyards to limestone, higher up on the ridges. The diverse soils the ideal basis for complex, multi-faceted wines that reflect their origin.
