The Alois Kracher K Cuvée 2021 is a rich, dry white from Neusiedlersee-Burgenland, built from Chardonnay, Scheurebe and Welschriesling with a portion of botrytis-affected fruit. Long ageing on lees in new French barriques gives it a weight and savoury depth that sets it apart from most Austrian whites.

Aromatics run to ripe pear, yellow peach and mango, lifted by lemon peel and a floral, faintly herbal edge from the Scheurebe. Behind the fruit sit nougat, toasted spice and a whiff of beeswax, the kind of complexity that keeps unfolding in the glass.

The palate is broad and creamy, the extended lees work lending a mouth-coating texture, while acidity cuts a clean line through the middle. There is a faint salty grip on the back palate and a gentle phenolic pull that stops the richness from turning soft. At around 14% alcohol with only a trace of residual sugar, the K Cuvée finishes dry, long and firm.

Pair it with roast chicken and bread sauce, pork belly with apple, veal schnitzel, or a plate of aged Comté and prosciutto. Richer seafood works too — scallops in butter, or crab with a squeeze of lemon.

Drinking beautifully now, the Kracher K Cuvée 2021 has the acid backbone and structure to keep developing through to 2033 and likely beyond.