Hannes Sabathi - Ried Loren Chardonnay 2019

Vintage: 2019
Varietal: Chardonnay
Appellation: Südsteiermark DAC
Vineyard Designation: Ried Loren STK Lage
Sulphur (SO2): 104ppm (50ppm free)
Sugar: Dry
Acid: 6.5 g/L
Production Size: 1,000 btls
Altitude: 550m (1804.46ft)
Vineyard Age: 8 years old
Residual Sugar: 1.3 g/L
Tannin: None
Alcohol %: 13

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.This is Hannes's newest and highest vineyard on the famous Pössnitzberg (mountain) in Leutschach on the border with Slovenia.

Soil Type(s): Opok, the regional, common name for a typical Styrian marl soil, made of limestone marl. These are formerly muddy sea deposits into which rivers washed coarser material such as sand and gravel. Opok is a very dense subsoil that is difficult to work with.

Fermentation took place with the use of native yeasts in old 500L barrels. The wine was then matured in the same neutral barrels on their full lees without sulfur addition for 12 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.

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 Loren Chardonnay is equivalent to a Village level wine in Burgundy, with a vineyard designation or an Ortswein in German VDP classification.

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