Hannes Sabathi - Ried Jägersberg Chardonnay 2020

Just ripe yellow apple, pear, white peach, tangerine notes wrap around a mineral driven core. The wine is quite lean, with a nice touch of creaminess from a bit of lees stirring. It has a slight smoky, spicy tone from the oak aging, but nothing to overpower the delicate nature of the wine. The wine is in its youth, so you may want to throw it in a decanted or even a blender (you heard me right) to wake it up.

Vintage: 2020

Varietal: Chardonnay

Appellation: Südsteiermark DAC

Vineyard Designation: Ried Jägersberg STK Erste Lage

Sulphur (SO2): 104ppm (50ppm free)

Sugar: Dry

Acid: 5.2 g/L

Production Size: 4,000 btls

Altitude: 350m (1148.29ft)

Vineyard Age: 20 years old

Residual Sugar: 1.1 g/L

Tannin: None

Alcohol: %13.5

Soil Type(s): chalky base with sand and loam, facing south

Vineyard Notes

Except for the beginning, 2019 was overall mild and very dry. The harvest began in mid-September and developed very well through the mild days without rainfall. The nights were very cold, which gave the wine great structure and acidity. All grapes were hand harvested as dictated by the landscape.

Production Notes

Fermentation took place with the use of native yeasts in 50% old 1500L barrels and 50% stainless steel. The wine was then matured in neutral barrels on their full lees without sulfur addition for 16 months. The wine was then racked, sulfured, and matured on its fine lees for 2 more months. Before being bottled, the wine are fined one last time through a rocky substance called kieselguhr trapping any left solids in the micro-crystalline rock structure. The resulting wines are absolutely flawless with diamond-like brilliance to the eye.

Fun Fact

Grapes are grown organically on the sides of steep mountain slopes in the southern corner of the country. Styria (Steiermark) produces just 5% of Austria's wine, but even that number is impressive considering just a generation or two ago there was almost no grapes being grown here. In the past, people tried to plant grapes on the flat valley lands. Due to the humidity, these had bad rot problems. After the anti-freeze scandal of the mid 80s, folks began experimenting in the region. This led to vineyards being planted on mountain slopes at high elevation to combat humidity. A strong focus on international grapes has led Chardonnay to be stand out here. Chardonnay is known as Morillon in this part of Austria, a synonym it also has in Switzerland. The Jägersberg Chardonnay is equivalent to a Premier Cru level wine in Burgundy or an Erste Lage in German VDP classification.

Food Pairing Notes

Oysters, Mussels, Cauliflower Steaks, Sunchokes, Hamachi Crudo, Albacore Tuna Sashimi, Caviar, Vol-au-Vent, Schnitzel with White Gravy

Cuisines To Try With

Raw Seafood, Japanese, Belgian, German, Austrian