The colour is medium-deep golden yellow. Pleasant and restrained on the nose. White flowers, peach, a touch of oak and smoke, a hint of lemon and flint.

Dry on the palate with a generous, oily texture – almost full-bodied. There’s a sense of concentration and tension, which is confirmed by a good acidity level. It spreads calmly and very pleasantly across the palate, offering a more intense, complex character. Then it lingers and fades into a very long finish.

An excellent Chardonnay that doesn’t aim to impress at first sip but asks for a bit more attention. Not for a long. It convinces soon – both connoisseurs and those less familiar with the variety. Built for the long run and worthy of cellaring.

Grilled seafood, fish and shellfish, Wiener schnitzel pork and poultry.

Vintage 2021 is third in a row, where harvest times were stretched well into October, which was very much a normality 20-30 years ago. Prolonged ripening was allowed enabling grapes to achieve perfect ripeness while having rather unusual balance with high alcohol and high acidity levels. Varietal characters are often stunningly pure. A classic Styrian vintage producing many “vins de garde”.

Vajgen

18 months in used 3500-liter wooden barrels made from Slavonian wood. Fermentation on the fine lees.

In top condition (2025), close to its peak. Drink from 2025 – 2035.