Weingut Rosi Schuster, with Hannes Schuster, who’s making some of Austria’s best wines
Website: https://www.rosischuster.at/en/
Hannes Schuster is based in Sankt Margarethen on the western shores of Lake Neusiedlersee. Most of his vineyards are on the Rusterberg, a gently sloping hillside that takes in the villages of Oslip, Oggau, Schützen, Sankt Margarethen and Rust. The winery is still named after his mother, Rosi, who he took over from in 2007 when his father died (his parents initially founded the winery).
I spent some time in the vineyards with him (along with a team from his importer, Newcomer Wines) and then we went back to the winery to taste. The vineyards are quite beautiful. Altogether he farms 17 hectares, with 4 hectares of Blaufränkisch. He has 0.5 hectares of Furmint, a grape he really likes. When in 2013 he decided he’d like to make Furmint, he initially couldn’t find anyone with any grapes to sell. In the end he found an organic grower selling 700 kg. There are just 30 hectares of Furmint in Austria, with 25 of these in Burgenland. Hannes would like to increase his holdings of Furmint because it works so well here.
Viticulture is organic, and winemaking is low intervention. In 2022, a hot year, Hannes says that he lost quite a few wines to volatile acidity.
Rosi Schuster Aus Den Dörfen Weiss 2023 Burgenland, Austria
This uses the newer vineyards, and those transitioning to organics. It’s a blend of Welschriesling, Furmint, Grüner Veltliner, Chardonnay and Weissburgunder, part oak, part stainless steel. Linear and bright with a hint of pithiness. Such focus and purity here with some richness, but also some freshness and good acidity. 94/100
Rosi Schuster Furmint 2023 Burgenland, Austria
This is mainly from Oslip (65%), and also another site near the border, San Maretien. Linear, mineral and with a slight smoky edge. Lovely purity to the taut fruit with fine acidity. Some pear and green apple on the mid-palate. Great precision and purity here. 95/100
Rosi Schuster Aus den Dörfen Rot 2022 Burgenland, Austria
Juicy, linear and fine with lovely focus to the raspberry and cherry fruit. Easy going but also a bit serious, this might be an entry level wine, but it’s really good. Nice taut cherry and berry fruits. Fine and expressive with lovely precision. 94/100
Rosi Schuster Blaufränkisch 2021 Burgenland, Austria
All destemmed, stainless steel ferment, then 14 months in large oak barrels. Complex, spicy, structured with a nice stony, mineral edge to the spice-laden black cherry and blackberry fruits. Fine, detailed and pure with some savoury, spicy detail. Iodine notes add interest, but the real focus is the amazing fruit, and the florality. 95/100
Rosi Schuster Sankt Margharethen Blaufränkisch Dorfkultur 2021 Burgenland, Austria
This is made from multiple parcels of old (45-55 years) vines. Very fresh and fine with lovely structure and focused black cherry, red cherry and raspberry fruit with amazing purity and structure. Shows immense promise for development. Fresh and fine with great structure and acidity. 96/100
Rosi Schuster Sankt Margharethen Blaufränkisch 2021 Burgenland, Austria
This is the village wine, made from both Lamer and Hinkenthal vineyards, and from 2022 each is now a single vineyard wine. Highly aromatic. Fresh, fine and chiselled black cherry fruits with some nice gravelly structure and good acidity. Grainy and fine with precision and purity. Very special. 96/100
Rosi Schuster Ried Hinkenthal Blaufränkisch 2022 Burgenland, Austria
This is from sandy limestone soils with some sandstone. Textured, fresh and fine with some mineral character. Lovely structure with some grip. Tannic but bright with real finesse. Dense but fresh, showing some flesh but also focus. 96/100
Rosi Schuster Ried Lamer Aankt Margarethen Blaufränkisch 2022 Burgenland, Austria
Schist soils. Silky and elegant with some freshness and a spicy edge to the sweet, textured, brooding black fruits. This is layered and brooding, showing great focus and density, as well as some elegance. Profound. 97/100
Rosi Schuster Mullendorf Blaufränkisch 2021 Burgenland, Austria
Pure chalk soils. So bright and precise with nice linear fruit. Has good acidity. Very fine and expressive with a good acid line. I love the purity. 95/100
