<3 STYRIA <3

Hey,

Hope you survived the Bank Holiday in one piece. I’m just about shaking off the cobwebs myself but luckily a lovely little allocation has just landed at the door to help with my recovery.

Could this be one of my favourite releases of the year? A small but mighty selection from Tscheppe. I had the opportunity to taste through these at a wine fair in Austria last weekend. This was strictly pleasure, not business, so no detailed notes. But yeah, these are on fire. There has never been a dud bottle from this cellar but particularly in this vintage, they feel to be performing at their peak.

Andreas never compromises. Even in tougher vintages, he’s meticulous in the vineyard and never waivers in how he sees farming, and the results always speak for themselves, even if it means there’s less wine to go around. 2023 followed the recent trend of low yield but high quality. The Dragonflies show Sauvignon Blanc in all its steely, sharp-edged beauty. The Chardonnay down here is tense and vibrant, with flinty reduction and wheat-derived notes from some smart barrel work. If you like aromatic varieties, they don’t get more refined or drinkable than the wonderfully easy-to-pronounce *Schwalbenschwanz*. Texture, balance, and energy across the range. Shop the lot here, just please try to save some for me.

It’s not just new Tscheppe either, we've got some beautifully maturing wines from Muster, a fellow neighbour in the Südsteiermark. These Muster wines are still flying under the radar in the UK, less so across the pond, but they deserve serious attention especially now these have seen a decent whack of bottle age.

As most of these approach their 5th birthday, they’re slipping into a lovely drinking window; that’s not to say they can’t go on a little longer. The Chardonnay is mellow and meditative. The Opok is lean and mean, driven by steely acidity and wet rocks. The Zweigelt is starting to shed its bright fruit and take on more spice and herbal depth. The Gräfin is just bonkers. Wild aromatics, loads of mango, passionfruit, dried citrus with layers of savoury herbs underneath.

Would love to stay and chat but those post bank holiday boxes won’t pack themselves

xoxo

Fionn