Werlitsch, Ex-Vero III 2023

Place: Styria, Austria

Grape: Chardonnay + Sauvignon Blanc

Vibe: Natural, textural

Ex Vero is one of the most beautiful vineyards I've had the pleasure of laying eyes on. A steep, verdant hillside nestled between Ewald at the bottom and his brother Andreas Tscheppe's house at the top. The energy here is palpable and it reverberates through the bottles too.

III comes from the steepest part of the slope, more Sauvignon Blanc here, with the vines rooting deep into essentially pure limestone. The 2023 is a nicely balanced vintage, still youthful and full of coiled-up tension. Wonderfully racy and vertical, almost tropical yet taut and crystalline. Truly one of the great wines of the world. Decant if attacking young, or if you've got the patience this gets even more hectic. Hard not to pop the corks on sight though.