Malterdinger, Chardonnay, Alte Reben, 2023
The Alte Reben Chardonnay was more backward and austere at our time of tasting from barrel, as it had not been racked, but within it there is a fabulously precise through-line of shimmering acidity and sinewy, vibrant citrus fruits and crushed stones. As it opens up it shows delicate hints of almond and wispy, flinty smoky notes – this Alte Reben a long way from the oily, fruity Chardonnays that Baden was once known for. Aged in 30% new French oak.
critic reviews
The zinc-yellow 2023 Malterdingen Chardonnay Alte Reben opens with a deep, warm, intense yet detailed and calcareous nose of ripe lemon fruits intermingled with flint stone and leafy nuances. Full-bodied, very elegant and remarkably refined as well as mineral on the palate, this is a dense, fresh, very complex and vital, lemon-scented and nervously mineral or calcareous Chardonnay with mouth-tickling grip and delicate tension. It's not dramatic yet playful, which is an art in itself in a warm vintage such as 2023. 12.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted in July 2025.