Tiglat 2019

The Tiglat is a single-varietal Chardonnay from the Seewinkel region on Lake Neusiedl in Burgenland. The vines were planted in 1959 under the assumption that they were Pinot Blanc. Heinz Velich and at that time also his brother Robert Velich produced Austria's first great, internationally successful Chardonnay from it in the 1990s. Since then, the wine, which used to be powerful, has become increasingly fine and elegant. The grapes are harvested by hand at full ripeness and, after standing, slowly pressed as whole clusters, fermented spontaneously at a relatively warm temperature and aged on the full lees in wood for two years.

medium golden yellow

Already in the fragrance is the Tiglat an exceptional wine. The spectacular lies in its understatement and the balance of fullness and finesse. The Chardonnay smells intensely of kumquats and mandarins, some pineapple and mango, but also of hay, hazelnuts and some oats. With air, there are also cool notes of crushed stone, lemons and herbs as well as a clear imprint of wood along with a discreet hint of vanilla and butter.

On the palate, this interplay of fullness and finesse, of ripe yellow fruit and a vivacity of minerality that is almost unexpected for the region is almost spectacular. At the same time the Tiglat Not overly loud or expressive on the palate either, but finely woven and dense, compact and grippy due to the fine extract from the extended maceration time, yet deep from the long yeast ageing and long with a wonderful saltiness on the finish.