External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
Show more
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.8 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 6 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Genghis88 on 6/3/2023 & rated 93 points: Pale greenish-yellow in color.
Lemon zest, and petroleum off the nose. Oyster shell.
Nice acidity, but not overbearing. Medium finish. Tastes like the nose. Quite a well made wine. Each sip makes you yearn for your next. It's definitely entered its drinking window, but has 5-8 years left in its tank.
This is a special wine that should continue to age gracefully and acure more points in the coming years. This is a sophisticate's Riesling. Wow!!! (815 views) | | | Tasted by Giggs on 3/18/2023 & rated 92 points: More lemon curd than Loibenberg, salty, and a vein of asparagus on the finish. It’s quite good. (831 views) | | | Tasted by scorbett on 5/12/2022: Amazing. My notes will not do it justice.
Nose: super fresh melon / cabbage / celery salad, grape too (duh... but seriously, green table grapes).
Palate: tropical, citrus (predominantly lime), and butter (has somewhat of the flavor of a perfectly oaked chard without any of the flab or oiliness), some kind of bitter green flavor. Chalky finish.
Endlessly complex and fascinating. (1212 views) | | | Tasted by nzinkgraf on 4/27/2019: Lots of pity and mineral aromas. Palate is ice-ier. Really draws on a celery seed note on the palate. (1730 views) | | | Tasted by salil on 12/19/2018 & rated 93 points: Another year, another fantastic Steinertal. This one is more herbal and floral than usual - the minerality isn't as prominent here, instead it's dominated by fresh lime leaf and green herbs around a core of tart citrus and pear fruit, with just a faint touch of sweetness on the palate that's balanced well by the bright acids. There's a sense of restraint and understatement here; the palate presence is incredibly light and delicate, and I can't wait to see how this one ages. (2002 views) | | | Tasted by jwsmith on 11/14/2018 & rated 93 points: So elegant the wine drifts and disappears such a gorgeous wine. A true masterpieces of Riesling (1391 views) |
| Alzinger Producer website
Leo Alzinger is located in Unterloiben, just across the street from Knoll. Leo owns parcels in two of the great vineyards in this part of the river valley: Loibenberg and Steinertal. Loibenberg is a towering, terraced hillside, while the diminutive (5.5 hectare) Steinertal is hidden and maintains a cooler micro-climate. On the terraced vineyards of both sites, riesling is cultivated on the higher, more primary rock rich parcels while grüner veltliner is cultivated on the lower, silty, loess based parcels.
Harvest at Alzinger happens later than some of Leo’s neighbors in Unterloiben, something he attributes to old vines and the specific exposition of his parcels. The extra time on the vine doesn’t increase sugar levels, Leo says, but rather pushes physiological ripeness to greater balance. Alzinger crushes whole cluster with a short maceration, then allows the must to settle for 24 hours, dropping any green tannins out. Tasting the wines next to some of the other Wachau greats, it becomes apparent that elegance and pristine fruit is what Leo looks for in winemaking, rather than opulence. Alzinger’s wines are never forceful or assertive; they are instead amazingly sanguine and calmly transparent. Terry says “You wouldn’t be surprised if the cellar master was the Dali Lama”.
Vineyard area: 11 hectares
Top sites: Loibenberg, Steinertal, Liebenberg
Soil types: Eroded primary rock, sandy soils with loam
Grape varieties: 55% Grüner Veltliner, 40% Riesling, 5% ChardonnayRiesling Varietal character (Appellation America) | A short history of Riesling (Uncork) | Riesling (wikipedia)Smaragd Wikipedia about Smaragd (german)
Google translation in English of the German Wikipedia about Smagard
From what I understand, these wines (very ripe, dry, late-harvest, etc.) were going to be designated Honivogl (after a kind of bird found in or near the vineyards, meaning 'honey bird'. However, the Honivogl family was involved in the wine trade in Austria and objected that this would cause confusion and weakening of their trademark. Another creature was therefore selected (the green lizard called Smaragd) to be the mascot (sort of ) for this kind of wine in the Wachau. Source: Dr. Peter Ruhrberg, Saarbrücken, personal communication, 9/2007. jhtSteinertalSteinertal
Facts:
Town:Steinertal
Insolation in hours per year:2087
Size in ha:5,61Terraced vineyard:Yes
Aspect:South
Slope gradient:Up to 64 %
Altitude:231 - 298 m
Description
Seen from the east, the Steinertal is the first steep vineyard of the wine region. The view also reveals the trench character of this vineyard, as suggested by the old name "Steingraben" (stony trench), forming an amphitheatre with an open view of the winescape of the Wachau region.
Soil profile

The geological substratum of the Steinertal vineyard is entirely composed of carbonate-free, acidic Gföhl gneiss (orthogneiss). The glacial loess cover has long been eroded, so that carbonate minerals such as calcite and dolomite (""limestone"") are only found in very low concentrations in the soil.
The topsoil is sandy, meagre and low in humus. At a pH level of 7.5, the soil falls within the weakly alkaline range.
The native Gföhl gneiss is already marked by weathering. The surfaces are coated with reddish-brown iron oxides. Cracks and joints are filled with fine, washed-in soil material. The vine roots penetrate deep into the rock through these cracks.
On weinlagen-infoAustria Wein aus Österreich (Österreichischen Weinmarketinggesellschaft) | Austrian Wine Classifications (Winemonger.com)Niederösterreich Weinstraße Niederösterreich
Lower Austria Wine Region
Lower Austria isn't "southern" Austria, but rather northeastern. It derives its name from its downriver location on the Danube River, which flows from west to east.Wachau Official tourism website
on weinlagen-info |
|
