A wine of profound stillness and rare intent, Perpetuum 2021 stands as Johannes Zillinger’s personal Mona Lisa — a cuvée he describes as saving Sauvignon Blanc from his oldest, most treasured plots. It is not made every year. It is not forced into existence. It simply emerges when nature allows.

Sourced from centenarian vines rooted in loess and limestone in the Steinthal, this is Sauvignon Blanc stripped of artifice and elevated into something far beyond varietal expression. There is a quiet echo of the great Silex wines of the Loire, but here it is reinterpreted through an Austrian lens of restraint, precision and depth.

The nose is intensely refined yet expansive, unfolding in layers of crushed citrus peel, ripe nectarine and subtle gooseberry, interwoven with flint, wild herbs and a faint smoky reduction that speaks of ancient soils. With air, it gains further dimension — waxy textures, dried herbs and a mineral resonance that feels almost architectural.

On the palate, the wine is both weightless and monumental. There is a deep, almost silent concentration of fruit, carried by a line of vibrant acidity and an underlying mineral tension that never releases its grip. Everything is in balance, yet nothing feels static — the wine moves, breathes and evolves in the glass.

Aged for two years under floor in old barrels, untouched by intervention, it develops an extraordinary inner complexity — not from winemaking decisions, but from time itself. There is no manipulation here, only patience, observation and trust in the vineyard’s oldest voices.

The finish is endless, saline and etched with stone-like clarity, leaving behind a sensation of calm power and precision.

A truly rare Sauvignon Blanc — contemplative, elemental, and among the most profound expressions of the variety in Europe.

Winemaker | Johannes Zillinger

Region | Weinvertel, Austria

Variety | Sauvignon Blanc

Style | White

Viticulture | Biodynamic

Soil | Loess and limestone - Steinthal

Altitude | 150 m

Age of the vines | 100 years

Bottles made | 600 bottles

Vinification

Perpetuum was direct pressed and fermented and aged in oak barrels for over two years on the lees under floor without sulphites and bottled unfiltered.