The company "Domäne Müller Gutsverwaltung GmbH" with headquarters in Gussendorf - Gemeinde Groß St. Florian (West Styria) was founded in 1994 by Eva R. and Günter J. Müller. The origin lies in a wine cellar founded by Josef Reiterer in 1936. An ultra-modern pressing house, designed for gentle processing, was built in 1998 and a new barrique cellar was put into operation in 2002. In 2007 the revitalization of the wine cellar with the most modern technical equipment began. The vineyards cover a total of around 37 hectares of vine area in exclusively south-facing cauldron and hillside locations with special microclimates. The company consists of the two vineyards "Prinz Liechtenstein'sches Weingut" in Deutschlandsberg
(Western Styria) and "Weingut am Ottenberg" in Berghausen
(Southern Styria). They also produce fine brandies, wine vinegar and pumpkin seed oil.
The
Prinz Liechtenstein'sche Weingut was formerly owned by Field Marshal Prince Johann von Liechtenstein (1760-1836). Today, the vineyards comprise almost ten hectares of vines in the Burgegg reed, which is located near Landsberg Castle, built in 1125. The varieties Blauer Wildbacher (for the
Schilcher), Welschriesling, Traminer, Pinot Gris and Zweigelt are cultivated here on primary rock weathered soil. The heart of the vineyard, respectively the best micro-location of the reed is the "Fürstenstück".
The vineyards of
Weingut am Ottenberg comprise 26 hectares of vineyard area. The Untere Ranz Ried is a basin site with soils of marl, graphite and slate mixture, in which the varieties Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Zweigelt, Pinot Blanc and Welschriesling are cultivated. In 1989, the German vineyards were planted with Chardonnay clones of Californian provenance on sandy soils with a completely new southern slope. In spring 1991, a further 3,500 Sauvignon Blanc clones imported from the Loire Valley were added. Finally, in 1999, the
Zieregg vineyard followed, with around 3,000 old vines (~45 years old) of the Gelber Muskateller, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Roter Traminer varieties on 0.7 hectares. These are harvested and vinified individually depending on their maturity and then assembled to form a cuvée
The wines are fermented under the strictest temperature control and then dry aged in Styrian style with varietal fruitiness. Depending on the variety and vintage conditions, this takes place in steel tanks or, for the storable wines, in barrique barrels made of French and American oak. For outstanding vintages of special quality, the respective grape variety is preceded by the articles, for example "Der Sauvignon Blanc" (the flagship of the house), "Der Zweigelt", or "Der Cabernet Sauvignon". Other premium wines are "Riunterra Rot" (Zweigelt and Bordeaux varieties) and "Der Schilcher Seelenfreund". There are also noble sweet wines produced; a sensation was the "Schilcher Trockenbeerenauslese 2000" with unbelievable 68g sugar-free extract, 236g residual sugar and 7,5% vol alcohol.
