The unoaked Chardonnay displays pronounced fruit aromas of apple, quince and some tropical notes. When fermented or matured in oak barrels, the wine develops buttery and toasty aromas, a richness and nuances of white bread, dried fruit and raisons.
probably Burgundy, France
Natural crossing of Burgunder x Heunisch
1,926.66 ha; 4.4% of total area under vine
White wine grape variety
Vineyard area
Chardonnay only gained in importance throughout Austria at the end of the 20th century, although it had already become established as a significant variety in Steiermark before then. In earlier days, differentiation was rarely made between Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay. Even in statistical records, both varieties were ranked together as one (listed as “Weißer Burgunder”). In Steiermark, “Morillon” is traditionally used as a synonymous name for Chardonnay.
Important ampelographic features
Important ampelographic features
Leaf
medium-sized, pentagonal, shallow-lobed, exposed petiole, open
Grape cluster
medium-sized, densely berried, cone-shaped, often with secondary clusters; berries are round and yellowish-green in colour
Morillon is genetically identical to the Chardonnay variety. Although specialists can recognise minimal differences in the colour of the leaves and buds, this is not sufficient to declare it a completely separate grape variety. There are no differences in the characteristics of the grape cluster either.
Vine growth over the course of the year
Ripening
Ripening
Significance & conditions
Chardonnay is grown internationally and yields some of the world’s most expensive wines. It is also used as one of the three key base wines for Champagne production. This variety requires warm vineyards with soils offering deep root depth, a good water supply and high limestone content.
Area under vine in Austria
(as a proportion of the variety’s total area)
Click on the wine origin in the list for a breakdown into more specific regions of origin.
Total area in Austria:
The Leithaberg and Neusiedlersee wine-growing regions overlap by almost 160 ha (Rieds Hausberg and Neuberg), according to the Austrian Wine Law. This means that the listed area under vine in Burgenland is 160 ha less than the actual total area across all wine-growing regions in Burgenland.
Characteristics of the wine
Characteristics of the wine
Harvesting this variety too early can result in unripe, thin and grassy wines. When the grapes are at fully maturity, the resulting wines can be powerful and elegant with good ageing potential. There are two types of élevage, resulting in different styles. The one is traditional élevage in stainless steel tanks, which produces stronger notes of fruit and animated acidity, while the other, most internationally widespread method is using barriques and malolactic fermentation. The most important quality of a great Chardonnay wine is its complexity, which only comes through when grapes are grown in especially good vineyards with limestone-rich soils. The best examples of these complex Chardonnays are grown on the Leithaberg in northern Burgenland and in Steiermark – although there are also a few outstanding vineyards in Niederösterreich and Wien.
Source varietal specifications: Höhere Bundeslehranstalt und Bundesamt für Wein- und Obstbau (Federal College and Federal Office for Viticulture, Oenology and Fruit Growing) in Klosterneuburg, “Austria’s Qualitätswein grape varieties and their clones“ („Österreichische Qualitätsweinrebsorten und deren Klone“), 2nd, reviewed edition, September 2015
Source area under vine: Calculation by Austrian Wine based on data from BML/IACS (as at 3 July 2024). Moving annual total (MAT) from July 2023 to July 2024.