Werlitsch Ex Vero 'Legoth' 2006

Ewald and Brigitte Tscheppe are among a generation of pioneering farmers (including Claus Preisinger, Christian Tschida, and Gut Oggau) who thrust Austrian natural wine into the spotlight in the early 2000s.

The Tscheppes farm 12ha of vines set among fruit trees, wild herbs, and untouched forest in Styria – a mountainous region on Austria’s border with Slovenia – predominantly working with Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay (known locally as Morillon), which are planted on steep, chalky Opok soils.

Savoury and complex, floral and vibrant, Werlitsch’s range of deeply reflective wines conjure up the Jura and Chablis one minute, Alsace and Sancerre the next.

This late-release 2006 'Legoth' – a field blend of more than 7 varieties that sees a little old oak and a small amount of SO2 at bottling – is singing with notes of ripe peach, plum, orange marmalade, its mature palate braced by chalky minerality and refreshing acidity. Delicious, but not for the faint of heart!