Zorjan, a former policeman, found his true life’s work in wine 22 years ago. The resulting wines are authentic and from a time past. His vines are on the Slovenian side of the Styrian wine region. The chardo was open barrel fermented, had three days on the skin and then aged in big boys; 1200L old neutral barrels for 24 months. The only sulfur comes from the residue leftover from burning sulfur in the oak. Taste? Reminded me of something so old-world I was looking over my shoulder for my long dead grandfather. Rich and a little affected by oxygen but certainly attention-grabbing, like Pop.

Based in Mittelbergheim, north of Colmar, Pierre Rietsch’s riesling comes from the clay and limestone lieu dit, Stein. An extremely appealing dry, fleshy riesling with nice depth from almost two years on the lees.