Malat Pinot Noir Furth 2022, Kremstal, Austria

Malat Pinot Noir Furth is a village-level red from the Malat family estate in Furth-Palt, in Austria’s Kremstal, close to the Benedictine abbey of Göttweig. The grapes come from vineyards around Furth on the south bank of the Danube, on gravel, sand and other river deposits, where warm Pannonian winds from the east help the Pinot Noir to ripen. The vineyards are farmed organically and picked by hand. Michael Malat destems the grapes completely and ferments them spontaneously with natural yeasts in stainless steel, before maturing the wine in large, old oak casks, so the wood stays in the background and the fruit leads.

In the glass it is a bright ruby-garnet. The nose shows tangy red and dark berries, raspberry and black cherry, with savoury hints of forest floor, black pepper and a touch of smoke. The palate is light to medium-bodied, fresh and precise, with refreshing acidity, fine, gentle tannins and a clean, mineral finish.

Serve lightly cool, at around 15–16°C, ideally in a large glass. It is a classic partner for roast chicken, and also works well with duck, pork, mushroom dishes and salmon. It is drinking well now and will keep for a few more years.

Weingut Malat is a family estate in Furth-Palt, in Austria’s Kremstal, close to the Benedictine abbey of Göttweig. The family’s roots there go back to 1722. Gerald Malat, a pioneer of Austrian wine from the 1970s, championed red wine in Lower Austria and began making traditional-method sparkling wine in 1976. His son Michael Malat has run the estate since 2008, after studying and working in wine regions in Europe and overseas. The vineyards lie on the slopes of the Göttweiger Berg, on loess, gravel and primary rock, and are farmed organically, by hand and without irrigation. Each block is fermented separately with natural yeasts, and the wines are matured in large wooden casks. Malat is a member of the Österreichische Traditionsweingüter and also runs a boutique hotel among its vines.