Judith Beck 'Beck Ink' Red 2022

Press 4 Red • November 2024 Direct Press Selection

Judith Beck took over her small family estate in 2014. They have been certified biodynamic since 2007 and asserts that biodynamic viticulture not only improves the quality of soil life but dramatically increases the vibrance and liveliness in her wines. Before taking over her family’s estate Judith trained at the famous Bordeaux estate Cos d’Estournel in France.The grapes are destemmed and the fruit is left to macerate on skins for 10 days to achieve a balanced extraction then the wine is racked off of the skins and moved to large neutral acacia barrels for 2 months. The wine finishes aging for 8-10 months in 500-1000 liter barrels before blending and bottling unfined/unfiltered, with no added sulfur.

This is a fantastic red blend of 80% Zweigelt and 20% St. Laurent. The wine has all the expected characteristics of these two signature Austrian grapes aromas of roses and fresh flowers, a bit of vanilla and sweet spices, zippy acidity, deep berry compote, a bit of that rose juice with light tannic structure that is perfect for a refreshing winter meal or with a light chill in the summer months. This wine is incredibly stable for a zero-zero wine and manages to be both dark and inky like its namesake with an incredible amount of freshness that keeps it light on its feet. Jeremy Hernandez