Andert Sankt Laurent 2017

Michael and Erich Andert are brothers making waves in their small corner of southern Burgenland. They are obsessive biodynamic farmers tending to a huge range of crops and animals on their 4.5 hectare farm. Michael learned biodynamics during his 19 years working for Sepp Moser, a well-known biodynamic farm not far away. Erich has a sommelier and sales background, working for some of the best restaurants, wine shops and importers in Austria over the years. They make an excellent team in the cellar where they combine expertise.

Vines have been in their family for longer than anyone can remember but the brothers didn’t make wine until the 90s, with their first commercial vintage in 1998. Now they practice natural winemaking, with all forms of modern equipment and chemicals completely absent from their cellar and vineyards. All wines are hand-harvested, sometimes destemmed, open-vat fermentation, always native yeast, no temperature control, little to no racking, and everything is aged in oak barrels. Wines are bottled without filtration and total sulfur is very minimal. No other additions are made. Inside their traditional underground stone cellar, there is no electricity.