The Kollwentz 2006 Chardonnay Trockenbeerenauslese leads with surprisingly refreshing lemony brightness that subsequently cuts its sweet, creamy, caramel- and apple jelly-filled palate. Hints of vanilla and lanolin from new wood add to the confectionary impression in the finish, yet the wine’s primary juiciness also persists. This could become more harmonious with time, or perhaps more interesting while retaining its sense of tension. One may need a decade to find out. The Kollwentzes – Andi and father Anton Kollwenz – produce some of Austria’s most celebrated and expensive wines, and one would be hard-pressed to find two more conscientious or engaging vintners with whom to discuss their craft. I continue however to take highly variable satisfaction in the wines at this address, their reds and their single-vineyard Chardonnays often striking me as a bit stiff and overly-oaky, whereas the purity and longevity of their nobly sweet wines consistently impress, and I find their Sauvignon one of the world’s best (albeit little known outside Austria).Importer: Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700