Ried Pfarrweingarten Morillon DAC 2019

Wine Description for Ried Pfarrweingarten Morillon DAC 2019 from Sattlerhof

Colour & Appearance

Medium, luminous straw yellow with golden reflections – a wine that announces its maturity and substance already in the glass.

Nose

The nose is complex and characterised by refined restraint. Blanched nuts and almonds combine with a hint of beeswax, whilst yellow apples, apple skin and more exotic notes of carambola and cape gooseberry provide freshness and vibrancy. A fine mineral limestone undertone lends depth and elegance to the bouquet.

Palate

On the palate, the Morillon unfolds silky and round, supported by a melting, fully ripe white-fleshed fruit. The vibrant acidity gives the wine tension and definition without disturbing the texture. A pronounced minerality – dark, almost stony – runs through the wine and lends it structure and character. Fine tannin notes and delicate spice round off the profile into a distinctive, mature Chardonnay of genuine weight.

Finish

Long, precise and persistently mineral. The Opok soils of the monopoly vineyard site leave their unmistakable fingerprint – saline, chalky, lingering. A wine that remains in the memory for minutes to come.

Terroir & Origin

The Pfarrweingarten is a monopoly vineyard site of Sattlerhof in South Styria – a south-facing basin with steep slopes at 380 metres elevation. The soils of Opok (clay and marl) as well as shell and coral limestone are the tectonic heart of this extraordinary parcel.

Grape Variety & Vinification

Fully ripe grapes from old vines of Morillon (the Styrian designation for Chardonnay) were fermented in 225- and 300-litre barriques of first and second fill and subsequently aged 18 months on the lees. The subtle oak work serves the texture, not the aromatics – a classical, craftsman-like precise approach.

Food Pairing Recommendations

Ideal with grilled turbot with beurre blanc, calf’s sweetbread with morels or a mature alpine cheese. Also a formidable choice with lobster or scallops with saffron sauce.

Special Features

The Pfarrweingarten is a protected monopoly vineyard site – no other winemaker may bear this name. The wine is thus a rare document of a unique terroir that in its combination of limestone, steep slope and South Styrian microclimate has scarcely an equal.