Chardonnay Judith Beck 2021

Chardonnay Judith Beck, organic wine, handpicked grapes, whole bunch pressed, natural fermentation in old Barriques, 6-7 months ageing on the lees.  This is delightful Chardonnay.  Judith reckons her terroir lends itself very well to the grape.  She doesn’t need to do much here.  The grapes ripen very nicely in  the warm climate of the Burgenland.  The grapes are handpicked, naturally fermented in steel and then naturally go through malolactic fermentation.  Judith leave the wine in the lees for several months.  She doesn’t use oak here, nevertheless, the wine has a creamy, rich texture.  This is a lovely Burgundy alternative, quite full bodied but with Austrian acidity to keep it balanced.

The Judith Beck winery is a 15 hectare estate in Gols in Austria's Burgenland. They have been farming biodynamically since 2007.  The aim to respect the environment and produce the best quality grapes they can.  They use native Austrian varieties and some international grapes like Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc.

Judith Beck studied abroad at places like Cos d'Estournel in Bordeaux and Errazuriz in Chile.  She returned home to take over the winery from her father and moved in the direction of natural winemaking.  In the vineyard they encourage the formation of humus as a basis of healthy soils.  They use their own natural composts and cultivate grass between the rows. Herbal remedies are also used and the vines are maintained following the rhythms of the moon and biodynamic calender.  They don't use  any inoculated yeasts of any kind, they minimise sulphur, fining and filtration. The Bambule range which is all zero sulphur and certified biodynamic, epitomising this philosophy.

These methods and ideas are what we look for at Buon Vino and the wines are really delicious.  They are fresh, drinkable and also great value for money.  The Burgenland is now firmly planted in the world of wine as one of  the coolest places to make wine and natural production is flourishing.  Many of the wines are pretty pricy and Judith Beck maintains her position as making some of the best value wines in the area.