MV Johannes Zillinger Revolution White Solera
MV Johannes Zillinger Revolution White Solera
Region: Niederösterreich < Austria
Grapes: Chardonnay, Riesling, Scheurebe
Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Demeter certified biodynamic farming + certified organic farming; 40-year-old vineyard on loess and lime sandstone soils; Chardonnay, partially fermented carbonically on skins for 10 days in amphora, co-fermentated with Scheurebe, blended with Riesling from a solera of vintages 2013-2015; aged in used wood then bottled unfined/unfiltered with zero added So2; zero-zero; 12.5% ABV
Winemaker: Johannes Zillinger
Johannes Zillinger learned early on from his father about the importance of organic winemaking, about viewing the vineyard as a habitat and protecting the environment instead of poisoning it. His father Hans turned to organic viticulture in 1983, two years before the Austrian Anti-freeze Scandal, and was one of its pioneers in Austria. When Johannes took over the 350-year-old winery in 2013, he transitioned to biodynamic farming in a big way -- he even grows his own herbs for tea tinctures to use for vineyard treatments.
This white is an experimental blend of three grapes with different ferments for each, and he plays with a solera system (different vintages put together year after year) for the Riesling, like how Sherry is made. The vinification is pretty crazy, with the Chardonnay going partially carbonic in amphora on the skins for 10 days, followed by co-fermentation with Scheurebe, and finally blended with Riesling from a solera of vintages 2013-2015. The Riesling solera is the structural backbone of the wine, adding acidity and those rocky minerals that we love.
Slightly fizzy at first, this wine is so aromatic, with a bounty of lemon, pineapple and tropical fruits, balanced by zesty and herbal notes of grapefruit and sage and flinty minerality. Fuller-bodied but fresh and zippy nonetheless, honied fruits dance with singing acidity. Such a stunning little wine! Johannes is a true boundary-pusher when it comes to unconventional winemaking, especially for his fairly stodgy Austrian region. We're hooked! STAFF FAVORITE