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

1,931.40 ha; 4.3%

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.
 

 

A picture shows grapes of the grape variety Chardonnay

Important ampelographic features

© Austrian Wine / Oberleithner

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.

Ripening

Ripening

very early
early
early to middle
middle
middle to late
late
very late

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.

A picture shows a hand holding a glass of white wine.

Characteristics of the wine

© Austrian Wine / Blickwerk Fotografie

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 28 June 2023). Moving annual total (MAT) from June 2022 to June 2023.

Share:

NEWSLETTER

Be the first one to know the latest news in the world of Austrian Wine!

Erfahren Sie Neuigkeiten vor allen anderen und sicher Sie sich die aktuellsten Themen aus der Welt des österreichischen Weins. • Hintergrundinformationen • Eventeinladungen • Gesetzesänderungen Noch nicht überzeugt? Sehen Sie sich hier unseren aktuellen Newsletter an.
Open Newsletter Panel Close Newsletter Panel