Wittmann’s 2009 Chardonnay trocken S – sourced from 16 year old vines and vinified in a range of cask- and barrel-sizes – mingles apricot kernel, peat-like smokiness, and chalk dust in a matrix of apple and lemon typical for its variety. Ample and plush; but with citrus and salt lending invigoration; a hint of heat faintly diminishes this wine’s finishing impact. I won’t pretend to predict long-term potential, but one will surely be safe in planning for its employment over the next several years. “The fruit was picture perfect,” says Philipp Wittmann of his 2009 crop in general, and he managed to capture ripe, complex flavors largely without the alcoholic interference or austerity that have sometimes led me to express reservations about the widely-lauded Rieslings of this articulate, conscientious young biodynamic practitioner. Wittmann characterized his harvest as having occupied “the last half of October, followed by a week of playing around (‘Spielerei’)” that focused on a few cooler sites. His approach was to see to it that the wines fermented quickly so as to avoid any bacteriological issues such as inadvertent malo-lactic transformation, but thereafter to give the young wines extended stays on their fine lees.Importer: Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700