Waiting for Tom Weiss

Waiting for Tom is the white in the Rennersistas trio of Weiss, Rosé and Rot. The producer explains the name two ways: a nod to Beckett's Waiting for Godot, and a tribute to the two people who gave the sisters knowledge and joy at the start of their own journey, Tom Lubbe of Matassa in Roussillon and Tom Shobbrook in the Barossa. Above all, they say, it is a white worth waiting a little longer for.

The blend is Weissburgunder and Chardonnay from the family's Demeter-certified vineyards around Gols on the Neusiedlersee. In the producer's own description of the current release, Weissburgunder is the main variety and brings the finesse and elegance, while a few days of skin contact on the Chardonnay portion adds a gentle grip for structure and length. The 2021 is hand-picked, spontaneously fermented and bottled unfiltered at 12.5%, and is labelled Wein aus Österreich, the tier below the Landwein the current release carries.

The exact split for 2021 is not published by the producer, and merchants disagree. Weingrube in Germany lists 60% Chardonnay and 40% Weissburgunder, three to eight days on skins, raised in 2000 l and 225 l casks; Prost Wines in the UK and Flaschenpost in Switzerland both list a Weissburgunder lead, 70% to 30% Chardonnay. The producer's own figure for the 2023 release is 55% Chardonnay and 45% Weissburgunder with 21 months on fine lees in an Austrian foudre, in the same breath as calling Weissburgunder the main variety, so even the producer does not settle which grape leads. The elevage of the 2021 is not documented by the producer.

Vintage-wise, the Austrian Wine Marketing Board calls 2021 a dream year: a cool, very dry April, a wet May, and then a long, sunny autumn with warm days and cool nights that delivered healthy fruit. For Burgenland the board reports the latest harvest in many years, while relaying claims from its villages that the main harvest itself was the quickest anyone there could remember. Its summary of the whites is freshness and vitality with crystal-clear fruit, ripeness and zesty acidity.