Pinot Freedom – 2019

Pinot Freyheit natural wine in a very limited edition by Gernot Heinrich

Pinot Freyheit 2019 by Gernot Heinrich is a lean Pinot Noir from Burgenland, aged in amphorae and bottled in a very limited edition. Not a dark, oak-influenced red wine, but a bright, herbal bottle with stimulating acidity and fine slate minerality.

Pinot Freyheit is the red natural wine from the Gernot Heinrich winery in Gols, in Austria's Burgenland region, pressed from Pinot Noir grapes grown on limestone-rich soils near the edge of the forest in the Leithagebirge hills. A portion of the grapes comes from the Edelgraben vineyard, which sits on a foundation of mica schist. The coolness of the forest delays ripening there and keeps the berries smaller for longer. At 12.0 percent alcohol, this red remains strikingly light and agile.

Black cherry, moss, and a hint of bacon

Dark berry fruit leads the way, black cherry and blackberry first, followed by tart sloe, and underneath lies a seasoning of herbs, moss, and smoked bacon. This is a nose that brings to mind a forest edge in late summer rather than a wine bar.

The body remains lean without feeling thin, because the stimulating acidity carries the wine and the mineral facets give it tension. It proves juicy and drinkable from the very first glass, and the tannins remain so fine that they never get in the way.

“It is as demanding as it is modest, but always accompanied by a touch of elegance,” is how the winery describes this wine. The sentence hits exactly what happens in the glass. If you are expecting dark, dense red wines, you will get a completely different answer here.

Whole bunches on the skins and aging in amphorae

The hand-harvest took place between the end of August and the beginning of September 2019, up in the stony vineyards on the Leithagebirge, where the forest cools the nights.

After the harvest, the berries remained on the skins for two weeks, one-third of them as whole bunches with stems. This is where the herbal freshness and the fine-knit tannins of this red wine come from. It was then pressed in a basket press, and fermentation started without any outside intervention.

The wine was then aged for seventeen months on the natural lees in amphorae, whose clay allows it air but no woody aroma. It was bottled at the beginning of March 2021, in a quantity that truly earns the name limited edition. The vineyards are farmed organically and biodynamically, with manual labor used in places where machines would be faster.

Porcini mushrooms, venison, and lentils with bacon

Roasted porcini mushrooms call for a red wine of exactly this stature, as their forest-like character picks up the moss and herbal notes without overpowering the fruit. Butter in the pan and parsley on top build the bridge to the wine's spicy side.

Venison saddle copes better with the lean structure of this wine than with a heavy vintage, and lentils with bacon pick up the smoked side directly. Served cool from the cellar, it appears clearer than at room temperature, which takes away some of its freshness.

Those who wish to reach for the classic interpretation of this grape variety from the same winery will find it in the Pinot Noir 2022. Further red bottles can be found under Red Wine, and the entire assortment under Gernot Heinrich Winery.

Pinot Freyheit – a wine and its values

• Origin Wine from Austria
• Natural wine
• Grape variety Pinot Noir
• 12.0% Vol. alcohol
• 5.3 g/l acidity
• 1.0 g/l residual sugar

Organic inspection body AT-BIO-402 – Austrian Agriculture