Though some may have written them off as sleek branding or natural wine hype — we can confidently say the wines of Gut Oggau are better than ever.

And the work is there, with some of Burgenland's most thoughtful biodynamic farming and an extremely skilled set of hands in the cellar that remind us: wine is a form of artistic expression.

We recently tasted the whole lineup, and the bottle we kept coming back to was this rosé.

WHAT'S IN THE BOTTLE

A Demeter-certified biodynamic field blend made in the Austrian 'Gemischter Satz' tradition, where (often, over a dozen) co-planted red and white varieties are harvested and co-fermented together. Here, 2/3 of the grapes are direct pressed and the rest are crushed and briefly macerated. Fermented in large wooden vats and aged in 1500L barrels, with no fining, filtration or added sulfur.

It's an elegant and complex take on the style, with tightly-knit red fruit that unfolds to be a little floral, a little herbal, and very mineral.

WHO MAKES IT

Eduard and Stephanie Tscheppe, who for going on 20 years have been restoring a 17th century winery and surrounding vineyards in Burgenland, Austria. Their background prepared them to hit the ground running: Edi grew up making wine with his father, part of the legendary Styrian family (yes, his brother is that Tscheppe); and Steffi grew up in a Neusiedlersee kitchen with her father, the Michelin-starred chef Walter Eselböck (of Taubenkobel fame).

Armed with a 200 year-old screw press and limestone-based terroir, their focus is on highlighting the individual personalities of each parcel – and for years, the estate sits comfortably on the dais of Austrian natural wine.

WHY WE DIG IT

Gemischter Satz is a style we generally dig – there's always a little bit of this, a little bit of that, it's fruity, zesty, flexible. But this bottle is like none we've tasted before, with a complex kaleidoscope of flavors that keeps unfolding not just through each sip, but as the bottle is open over time. Even just 15 minutes brings a new experience.

HOW WE'RE DRINKING IT

This is a truly enjoyable bottle to simply sit and sip, but we do love snacks, so let's roll with anything fresh, crispy and salty to cut the summer heat. Panisse, anyone?

Gut Oggau 'Cecilia' $50