Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc from Austria: a study
This tasting was part of the Arlberg Weinberg, and was led by Willi Balanjuk and Daniela Dejnega.
Of the 44 210 hectares of vines in Austria, Sauvignon and Chardonnay are important but relatively minor players. How are they doing?
There are 1739 hectares of Sauvignon, with 965 ha in Steiermark. The wave for Sauvignon started at the end of the 1990s, and the vineyard area with this variety has been growing (it has doubled in 15 years, and Styrian Sauvignon doubled in the last 10 years.
There are 1926 hectares of Chardonnay (known locally as Morillon in Styria), with 705 in Burgenland and 783 in Niederösterreich.
SAUVIGNON BLANC
Harkamp Sekt Austria Extra Brut Sauvignon Blanc NV Steiermark, Austria
12% alcohol. This is dense with sweet pear fruit and some compact citrus, as well as a touch of reduction. It has some Sauvignon character, but not too much, and has lots of citrus with a pithy edge. 88/100
Wolmuth Sauvignon Blanc Ried Hochsteinriegl 2021 Sudsteiermark, Austria
13.5% alcohol. Fermented and aged in 500 litre barrels. Complex and layered with beautiful citrus, pear and melon fruit, as well as a touch of elderflower and lively lemony fruit on the finish. Floral, textured and even slightly spicy on the finish. Lovely depth and intensity here, and driven by this really lovely fruit. 94/100
Neumeister Sauvignon Blanc Alte Reben 2021 Vulkanland, Sudsteiermark, Austria
13.5% alcohol. Two plots planted in 1936 and 1937, the oldest existing vineyards for Sauvignon in Styria. Highly floral with lovely green hints as well as elderflower and lemons. The palate has nice depth and weight with some spicy detail as well as pear and some melon. Finishes melony and stony. 93/100
Polz Sauvignon Blanc Ried Theresienhöle Therese & Zeit 2021 Sudsteiermark, Austria
13.5% alcohol. This has two years in barrel. Supple, easy, has some citrus and herb notes with pear and citrus. Nicely textural but a bit flat and lacking energy. Has a soft mid-palate with a touch of stoniness. 89/100
Kodolitsch Sauvignon Blanc Ried Rosengarten T.M.S. 2021 Sudsteiermark, Austria
13.5% alcohol. Warm site, calcareous clay and sand. Powerful and intense with bold melon, pear and citrus fruit with lovely tropical notes and some spicy richness. Has great concentration and intensity with some nice barrel-ferment character in the mix. Rich and very likeable with lots of everything. 93/100
Erwin Sabathi Sauvignon Blanc Ried Pössnitzberg Kapelle GSTK 2019 Sudsteiermark, Austria
13% alcohol. Opok soil, a calcareous marl. Wild ferment in large casks. Lovely density but also great balance with a stony, mineral streak and bold pear and citrus fruit. Nicely focused with good acidity and some fine spicy detail. Very fine, with the potential for development. 94/100
Tement Sauvignon Blanc Ried Ehrenhausener Zieregg 2015 Sudsteiermark, Austria
13.5% alcohol. Aged 8 years in barrel and bottled last year. There’s density and freshness here as well as some development. Powerful with pear, aniseed, lemon and some nice acidity, as well as subtle pithy, waxy notes. Lovely intensity with a bright crystalline finish. Remarkable stuff. 95/100
Frauwallner Straden TBA Sauvignon Blanc Ried Stradner Rosenberg 2017 Vulkanland Steiermarkt, Austria
5% alcohol, 302 g/l. Very aromatic with melon, spice, marmalade and mandarin on the nose with a touch of barleysugar. The palate is lively, bright and spicy with masses of sugar, and some honey and melon, with a hint of greenness/herbal character on the finish. Very distinctive. 94/100
CHARDONNAY
Zuschmann-Schöffmann Sekt Austria Grosse Reserve Extra Brut Chardonnay 2020 Niederösterreich, Austria
12% alcohol. This is powerful and incisive with nice toasty complexity and some nice appley depth as well as pear and citrus fruit. Some notes of meal and honey as well. Lively acidity here. A really stylish wine with nice complexity. 92/100
Gross Morillon Ried Nussberg Preschnigg GSTK 2019 Sudsteiermark, Austria
13% alcohol. Slight toasty and peachy on the nose with bold, taut citrus fruit with a touch of pithiness and good acidity. This is linear and bright with nice energy and focus, and it’s quite compact and unfurled right now. A little awkward but could flourish with time. 90/100
Sattlerhof Gemischter Satz Ried Pfarweingarten GSTK 2021 Sudsteiermark, Austria
13.5% alcohol. Two-thirds Chardonnay, one-third Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris, on limestone and sand soils. Fruity and quite powerful with lively pear and citrus fruit with a hint of cherry and some nice acidity. Has some mandarin and table grape richness, then finishes with a hint of almond. Has energy. 92/100
Kollwentz Chardonnay Großhöflein Gloria 2013 Burgenland, Austria
14% alcohol. Limestone soils on the Leithaberg. This has aged beautifully. Nice density here with pear and peach and then some citrus. There’s a nice acid line with a touch of grapefruit and even a subtle cabbage edge, but it’s ageing very nicely in a linear way. Stylish stuff, with a crystalline finish. 94/100
Lackner-Tinnacher Morillon Ried Welles 2021 Sudsteiermark, Austria
13% alcohol. Gravels, conglomerates, some sandstone. Nice density here with a pithy edge to the sweet pear and citrus fruit, with a touch of peachiness. Has density and energy but is currently tight and unfurled. Give this time. 91/100
Bründlmayer Chardonnay Ried Langenloiser Steinberg 2021 Niederosterreich Reserve, Austria
13% alcohol. 300 litre oak. Fine toast and mineral-laced peach and pear fruit with some fine spicy detail. The palate has a lovely mineral energy with lovely weight and power, with some smokiness as well as concentrated lemon fruit, with a touch of wax and honey. Nice concentration here with such intensity on the palate. Youthful with potential for development, and well integrated oak, and nice reductive hints. Give this time. 94/100
Johanneshof Reinisch Chardonnay Ried Kästenbaum Gumpoldskirchen 2021 Thermenregion, Austria
14% alcohol. Nice density and generosity here with lovely powerful citrus fruit as well as some orange peel and melon fruit. There’s a lovely fruity character to this wine, but also some spicy detail, a hint of wood, and a nice savoury twist on the finish. 92/100
Kracher TBA Grande Cuvée No 4 2020 Burgenland, Austria
10% alcohol, 208.6 g/l. 60% Welschriesling, 40% Chardonnay. Amazing aromatics with powerful apricot, peach and toast with some honey notes and a touch of lime. The palate is intense and yet really well balanced with spicy detail as well as honey, melon and apricot, finishing quite soft. 94/100
