2011 Franz Hirtzberger Dinner
Sun Wah BBQ - Chicago, IL
Tasted Saturday, February 23, 2013 by tooch with 566 views
Introduction
Big thanks to Tim at Weygandt Wines for providing these bottles for us, and to the folks at Sun Wah for hosting us with the great food and great service.
Overall, the wines were very good. I thought the Rieslings were a bit more exciting than the Gruners with the Singerriedel and Setzberg outdoing the rest. The Gruners, as a group, seemed a bit brutish...the alcohol crept into some of them and, at times, the fruit seemed a bit gummy. This was a great opportunity to try a great collection of wines.
2011 Franz Hirtzberger Grauburgunder Smaragd Pluris 88 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
I think this was my first time drinking a Grauburgunder. Zesty grapefruit, peach and tons of crushed-rock-minerality. Liked the balance and purity here.
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2011 Franz Hirtzberger Weissburgunder Smaragd Steinporz 85 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Pretty mute on the nose. Very herbal, with light peach and lemon tones on the palate. A bit simplistic at this point.
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2011 Franz Hirtzberger Riesling Federspiel Steinterrassen 90 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Great acidic edge to it. Lots of peach, mango and lanolin tones throughout. Thought the cool fruit profile was really nicely composed...subtle, but serious.
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2011 Franz Hirtzberger Riesling Smaragd Hochrain 90 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Shutdown aromatics. The palate, however, had really nice sweet peach and passion fruit. Thought the acidity was really nice here. Had some subtle apricot and truffle notes too. Interesting stuff.
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2011 Franz Hirtzberger Riesling Smaragd Setzberg 94 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Magical stuff. Exotic nose of tropical fruits, petrichor, lanolin, and minerals. The palate was plush, rich and crystalline. I was really struck by the purity and depth of the fruit. Young but staggeringly good.
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2011 Franz Hirtzberger Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel 95 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
A serious Riesling. Stunning aromatics of tropical fruits with the ever present cool mineral note. Needless to say the wine is young and a bit brutish, but the balance of exotic fruits, acidity, and minerality is really something. The complete package of intense flavor, airy mouthfeel, and bracing acidity.
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2011 Franz Hirtzberger Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Rotes Tor 89 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Drinking in a good spot. Plush nose of melons, pears and pepper. Palate was on the riper side but was properly balanced with sizzling acidity. A very accesible Gruner.
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2011 Franz Hirtzberger Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Rotes Tor 91 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Despite its shy nose, the palate was unctuous and exotic. Lots of pepper and dill with peaches and melons. Nice firm structure, a very promising Gruner.
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2011 Franz Hirtzberger Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Axpoint 91 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Incredibly vivid minerality here. Has that rich Gruner fruit, but this goes the extra mile on the "freshness scale" with incredibly searing acidity.
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2011 Franz Hirtzberger Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Kirchweg 86 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Of all the Gruners this seemed to be the biggest in scale. The nose was a bit warmer, the palate a bit plusher. There was more banana going on here than the other Hirtzberger gruners and the alcohol seemed to creep into the palate the most here, too. If this had a bit more acidity, I would have enjoyed it more.
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2011 Franz Hirtzberger Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Honivogl 91 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Came across a bit shy. The palate was really nice and classic. White pepper, fresh melon, and herbs. Will be interesting to see how this matures.
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2009 Franz Hirtzberger Weissburgunder Beerenauslese 92 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Sappy and rich fruit. Really nice depth and richness to the apricots, peaches, and mangos. The acidity was nice and turned the fruit crystalline in nature. Really nice stuff.
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2009 Franz Hirtzberger Riesling Beerenauslese 93 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Had a bit more polish to it when drank alongside the Weissburgunder Beerenauslese. The apricot fruit was very dense in flavor, but felt rather airy. Great acidity to the finish was tingly and refreshing. A great wine.
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2009 Franz Hirtzberger Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese Singerriedel 95 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
My notes read "apricot magma". Dazzling rich flavor, incredible viscosity, with great acidity on the finish. Wish I had more of these as I can't begin to imagine how it'll age.
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2007 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel 95 Points
Germany, Nahe
Incredible stuff. Crsytalline fruit, airy mouthfeel and searing acidity. Beautiful lychee fruit, lanolin, peach, and mango. Amazing.
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