Werlitsch - Ex Vero 3 S 2022

Ex Vero III S 2022 by Werlitsch is a natural wine made in Styria with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc grapes. This S series features a tiny amount of residual sugar. Werlitsch's Ex-Vero are rather legendary in the finer world of natural wine. Composed of Sauvignon Blanc & Chardonnay (known locally in the Steiermark region, aka Styria, as 'Morillon'), the Ex Vero range is divided into regions on the Werlitsch slopes. Ex Vero I is taken from the lower slopes, Ex Vero II from the middle vineyards and Ex Vero III from the uppermost, featuring rougher and more rocky Opok soils. The Ex Vero III S grapes grow more 300m above the sea level on Opok soil, a fine-grained, calcareous marl and silt typically found in the steep Styrian vineyards. The result of the selected grapes from the steeper and more barren higher slopes is a deep and complex white blend with an exotic and smoky touch! Whilst we haven't tried the 2022 vintage of Ex Vero III S yet, we hear it presents a freshly green and smoky nose, while it's on the palate that shows more exotic flavours, such as kiwi and passion fruit, while maintaining a stony and smoky structure. Leave it open up and the smokiness will turn into nutty and bready taste! A difficult fermentation led to the producer's decision - after a long period of the wine aging on lees - of bottling with a few grams of residual sugar, that amplifies the deepness of the wine! Brigitte and Ewald Tscheppe from Werlitsch, together with Styrian wine producers Taus, Tscheppe, Muster and Strohmeier, belong to the ‘Schmecke das Leben’ (‘Taste life’) group. Their philosophy is about protecting the land, and making authentic and expressive natural wines that stay honest to their roots. It’s an invitation to slow down, share a glass, and truly enjoy the moment!