The 2017 Alto Adige Chardonnay Flora is a softy textured and fragrant expression that has benefited from the heat and ensuing concentration of the vintage. I am struck by a note of butter popcorn that lingers on the nose after the stone fruit, pear and melon has lifted. That buttery note obviously comes from the lees aging in oak and the malolactic fermentation, but it's not that simple. It also comes from the hot vintage itself. Ultimately, the wine is balanced and refreshed by a quick blast of acidity on the close. Some 12,000 bottles were released.