Johannes Zillinger NUMEN Fumé Blanc Bio 2022 white

Johannes Zillinger NUMEN Fumé Blanc Bio is Sauvignon Blanc taken to its most elemental and expressive form. Crafted as a pure natural wine, it’s bottled without fining, filtration or additives, allowing only the grape, the vintage and the vineyard to speak. This cuvée has already attracted serious attention, with Gault Millau Austria naming an earlier vintage the “best alternative wine in Austria” – a remarkable accolade in a country renowned for its cutting‑edge natural wine scene.

Tasting Notes
In the glass, NUMEN Fumé Blanc shows a naturally hazy, golden to straw-yellow hue, often with an amber touch that hints at skin contact and minimal intervention. The nose is intense and complex: think wild herbs, dried citrus peel, grapefruit zest, gooseberry, nettle and flint, wrapped in smoky, lightly oxidative nuances, subtle spice and a gentle, leesy creaminess. On the palate, this is no conventional Sauvignon Blanc. It’s textural, structured and dry, with firm, almost tea-like tannins from skin contact, balanced by vivid acidity and a savory, saline backbone. Citrus oil, stone fruit and ripe apple mingle with notes of gunflint, hay, toasted seeds and a touch of smoky reduction. The finish is long, slightly grippy and deeply mineral. Built with remarkable energy and structure, this wine has very good aging potential for a natural white; it will evolve beautifully over 5–8 years, gaining more nutty, honeyed and tertiary complexity while retaining its tension.

Production
The fruit for NUMEN Fumé Blanc Bio comes from carefully farmed, organically certified vineyards in Austria’s Weinviertel, where cooler nights and limestone‑rich soils give Sauvignon Blanc both ripeness and a bright, linear acidity. Zillinger works with low yields and meticulous hand-harvesting to ensure only perfectly healthy, fully ripe grapes make it into the cellar. True to the NUMEN philosophy, the winemaking is completely minimalist: spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts, extended skin contact for added texture and complexity, élevage in neutral wooden vessels that lend a subtle smoky, ‘fumé’ character without overt oak, and no fining, filtration or additives at bottling. The result is an unmasked, living expression of Weinviertel Sauvignon Blanc.

Food & Serving
NUMEN Fumé Blanc is a serious gastronomic white that shines with bold, characterful dishes. It’s superb with herb-driven cuisine, from grilled or baked fish with tarragon and fennel to lemon- and herb-roasted chicken, as well as goat cheese, washed-rind cheeses and vegetable-based plates like grilled asparagus, artichokes, mushroom ragouts or root-vegetable tarts. It also pairs beautifully with Asian-inspired dishes featuring ginger, lemongrass or mild curry spice. Serve slightly cooler than cellar temperature, around 10–12°C, to let its aromatics unfold without muting the texture. A short decant of 20–30 minutes is highly recommended to open up the wine and soften the initial reduction and tannins; do not be afraid of a bit of natural cloudiness in the glass.

Producer
Weingut Johannes Zillinger is one of Austria’s pioneering addresses for biodynamic and natural wines, based in the Weinviertel region north of Vienna. The estate has a long family history, but Johannes has transformed it into a benchmark for low‑intervention, terroir‑driven winemaking, farming his vineyards organically and biodynamically long before it became fashionable. Within Austria’s dynamic alternative wine movement, Zillinger holds a special place: his NUMEN series, in particular, has been lauded by influential critics and guides such as Gault Millau for pushing the boundaries of what Austrian white wine can be while remaining precise, drinkable and deeply authentic. His work has helped put Weinviertel on the map not just for classic Grüner Veltliner, but for some of the country’s most compelling natural wines.

We deliver within 2 - 6 business days. You can choose whether it should be to a parcel shop or home delivery. Free delivery to both parcel shops and your front door. Our store partners primarily use GLS, DPD, UPS and DHL for deliveries. We cover deliveries to the majority of countries in Europe.