Rochelt
Brennerei Rochelt sits behind the gates of a farmhouse in Fritzens, in the Tyrol, a few minutes east of Innsbruck. Gunter Rochelt was a chef who distilled for twenty years as a hobby before building the distillery itself in 1999. His son-in-law Alexander Rainer joined him in 2003, after six years working in finance in London, and has run the house since Gunter's death.
"The actual process is all very simple. And I think the most beautiful things in life, usually they are not complicated." - Alexander Rainer
PM Spirits is the United States importer for Rochelt, the Austrian fruit eau de vie and schnapps house in Fritzens, Tyrol.
How it is made
Rochelt owns no orchards. The fruit is bought from a short list of growers and left to ripen on the branch, then picked by hand. Cherries come off the tree one at a time and the trees are never shaken. Apricots come from the Wachau, harvested in two passes, east and west. If it rains during a harvest the picking stops for two or three days, and if the rain sets in the harvest is abandoned altogether. Rowanberry, raspberry and black elderberry are wild and entirely untreated.
The fruit is mashed whole at a collection point close to where it grew, so it is not damaged in transport. The stones stay in the mash and are not crushed, because a little stone character belongs in the finished spirit. Fermentation starts the same evening on indigenous yeast, with no sugar and nothing added, and runs dry at around six to eight percent. Quince, picked late and sometimes from under snow, is started on a sour mash.
Distillation is on two pairs of custom stills, part Holstein and part hand built by Karl, heated by vapour. The smaller pair, 170 and 120 litres, takes the berries. The larger pair, 250 and 170 litres, takes the fruit with more volume. The spirit is distilled twice without ever leaving the still and comes off between 60 and 70 percent. Austrian customs seal the stills, 250 seals apiece.
It then goes into glass demijohns of 25 to 54 litres at full proof, covered with nothing but a linen cloth, and left alone. Nothing is tasted for five years. Some lots are now past fifteen.
Most schnapps is cut to strength at bottling. That pushes compounds out of solution, the spirit turns cloudy, and it has to be filtered. Rochelt does not filter, so the water goes in slowly and late instead, over months, from a spring at 1200 metres on the family farm. It is never distilled.
The bottle is the traditional Austrian pincer shape. Each variety gets its own stopper, cast in silver by the German goldsmith Otto Jakob.
The expressions
All bottlings are 50% ABV.
Wachau Apricot. Wachauer Marille, about 15kg of fruit to the litre.
98 points from Antonio Galloni in Vinous for the 2015: "...ridiculously great ...What a knockout."
Morello Cherry. Weichsel, picked from the tree one by one, about 25kg of fruit to the litre.
97 points from Antonio Galloni in Vinous for the 2007: "...all finesse ...impeccably balanced from start to finish. The depth and explosive complexity are off the charts."
Mirabelle. Mirabelle plum.
97 points from Antonio Galloni in Vinous for the 2009: "...a spirit of uncommon finesse and nuance... a knockout..."
Quince. Quitte, harvested late and started on a sour mash.
96 points from Antonio Galloni in Vinous for the 2010: "...uncommon complexity ...a ton of power and substance..."
Gravenstein Apple. Gravensteiner.
94 points from Antonio Galloni in Vinous for the 2010: "...wonderful savoriness and tartness... along with tons of depth..."
Muscat Grape. The most generous of the range in yield, at about 12kg of fruit to the litre.
Gewurztraminer. Grown by winemakers rather than fruit growers, so nobody has to be taught what ripeness means.
Basel Cherry. Sweet cherry, mashed without the stones, which would carry it too far towards marzipan.
Black Elderberry. Wild and untreated, about 50kg of fruit to the litre.
Wild Raspberry. Waldhimbeere, wild, about 60kg of fruit to the litre. Most raspberry spirit is macerated in neutral alcohol on roughly 8kg to the litre. This is fermented and distilled.
Inntaler. A blend of quince, pear and raspberry. Quince on the nose, pear through the middle, raspberry on the finish.
Annia's Gin. Named for Annia Rainer, who wanted gin for her fortieth birthday. Ten year old apple eau de vie from southern Styria, brought down to 34% and redistilled with juniper from the Balkans and nothing else.
In the press
The Spirit Hunter, Saveur, Spirits: The Tip of the Iceberg, Give Your Cocktail a Little Je Ne Sais Quoi, Nine of the World's Most Beautiful Wine and Spirits Bottles, Father's Day Gift Guide, Schnaps Brings the Taste of Spring, Best New Spirit 2017.
Packing
The eaux de vie and the gin ship in 8 x 375ml cases. Inntaler is also available in 8 x 700ml.
Wachau Apricot, PMR-ROCAPR-37. Morello Cherry, PMR-ROCMCH-37. Mirabelle, PMR-ROCMRB-37. Quince, PMR-ROCQNC-37. Gravenstein Apple, PMR-ROCAPL-37. Muscat Grape, PMR-ROCMUS-37. Gewurztraminer, PMR-ROCGEW-37. Basel Cherry, PMR-ROCBCH-37. Black Elderberry, PMR-ROCBLE-37. Wild Raspberry, PMR-ROCRAS-37. Inntaler, PMR-ROCINT-37 and PMR-ROCINT-70. Annia's Gin, PMR-ROCGIN-37.
Collections and flask sets, PMR-ROCCOM-37, PMR-ROCCMG-70 and PMR-ROCFLK-40.
For wholesale orders, email info@pmspirits.com or call 347 689 4414. Out of state wholesalers can go straight to our US Market Manager, Meryl Cocuzza, at meryl@pmspirits.com. All the ways to reach us are on the contact page.
Rochelt is part of the PM Spirits national import portfolio.
Review and score: Antonio Galloni, Vinous.
Review and score: Antonio Galloni, Vinous.
Review and score: Antonio Galloni, Vinous.
Review and score: Antonio Galloni, Vinous.
Review and score: Antonio Galloni, Vinous.