Austrian Estate Visits

In and around the Wachau valley
Tasted Wednesday, September 13, 2023 - Friday, September 15, 2023 by drwine2001 with 104 views

Introduction

For our first trip to the Wachau, we were fortunate to be able to visit some old classics as well as one up and coming young producer. People were incredibly generous with their time (and wine) despite being busy with harvest preparations, but we did miss some great names due to the timing of our visit. At some addresses, top bottlings of the 2022s had been sold out and were not available to taste. Regardless, this is a gorgeous region with compelling wines, and we had a great time during our few days there.

Flight 1 - Nikolaihof (8 Notes)

Flight 2 - Hirtzberger (6 Notes)

Flight 3 - Jamek (6 Notes)

Flight 4 - Nigl (7 Notes)

Flight 5 - Grabenwerkstatt (7 Notes)

  • 2022 Grabenwerkstatt Grüner Veltliner Wachauwerk

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

    (9/15/2023)

    Herb and citrus nose. Medium weight. Spicy. Clean citrus and pear, outstanding acidity, and so much soil. Complex, dry, good texture. Quite an entry level wine.

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  • 2022 Grabenwerkstatt Grüner Veltliner Grabenwerk

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

    (9/15/2023)

    You can almost smell the stone here. All lemon, herb, and acidity. Leaner than the Wachauwerk. Very saline, sharp rocky finish. Incredible focus and energy for the varietal. Hold!

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  • 2022 Grabenwerkstatt Grüner Veltliner Brandstatt

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

    (9/15/2023)

    Slight honeyed, rich nose. Great round mouth filling entry, and then a bone dry, swirling, mineral finish. Already complex, and I love how the volume is pierced by the acidity and salty finish. This is probably the most exciting 2022 Grüner Veltliner we’ve tasted thus far.

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  • 2022 Grabenwerkstatt Riesling Bruck

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

    (9/15/2023)

    Greenish yellow. Ripe orange blossom. Light to medium weight with a fine feel that has enough roundness and flesh. Dry, bass note of citrus, really great lemony acidity. Less mineral than some of the other wines, but this is also lovely and full of tensile energy.

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  • 2022 Grabenwerkstatt Riesling Smaragd Kalkofen

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

    (9/15/2023)

    This site has a pitch of 70 degrees!! Stone and lime. Medium to light bodied. Ripping acidity surrounded by a veneer of citrus fruit that provided enough flesh to balance the wine. Absolutely dry, amazingly pure and puckering. I think this was the only young wine that I tasted during my swing through Germany and Austria that made my teeth hurt, and I mean this as a high compliment! Electric stuff.

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  • 2022 Grabenwerkstatt Riesling Trenning

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

    (9/15/2023)

    Said to be one of the highest vineyards in Austria. Sweetly floral aromas. Light to medium weight, elegant feel. Apple and some pear, fantastic acidity, dry, salty, powerful stone finish. Wow.

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  • 2020 Grabenwerkstatt Riesling Smaragd Bruck

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

    (9/15/2023)

    Lowed toned fruit, quite intricate aromatics. Medium weight, subtle dried stone fruit that is glycerine but not sweet. Dry, saline finish. A few years has ameliorated the acidity which is less sharp tasting than in the 2022, although technically the levels are the same in these 2 years. Promising glimpse of the evolution of these wines, but this still needs more time to unfold.

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Flight 6 - Prager (10 Notes)

  • 2022 Prager Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Hinter der Burg

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

    (9/15/2023)

    Light fresh orange. Very good acidity, herb, and soil. Supple feel, some residual sugar, but drier finish. Nice entry level wine.

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  • 2022 Prager Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

    (9/15/2023)

    Tart citrus, light soil on the nose. Light to medium weight, average acidity, very open now. Missing some weight and intensity for Smaragd, but better in its soil-based finish.

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  • 2011 Prager Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

    (9/15/2023)

    This had been opened 2 days prior. Dull yellow. Supple yellow orchard fruit and vanilla with a hint of toffee. Very good acidity, nice flow, subtle soil base. Mature, moderate intensity.

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  • 2022 Prager Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Wachstum Bodenstein

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

    (9/15/2023)

    Very varietal nose of herb and pepper. Light to medium weight, succulent texture. Some pear, but this is more on the savory, complex side with very good acidity and a moderately long soil-filled finish.

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  • 2022 Prager Riesling Federspiel Steinriegl

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

    (9/15/2023)

    Fresh, floral scents. All chalk, subtle grapefruit, and excellent acidity. Fairly unique flavor profile and more refreshing than any of the GV’s.

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  • 2022 Prager Riesling Smaragd Achleiten

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

    (9/15/2023)

    Classic Riesling nose. Elegant medium weight. Green fruit, peach, and grapefruit, excellent acidity. Youthfully dry but not severe. Although it is not the most mineral wine in the range, it is beautifully balanced and should age well over the intermediate term.

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  • 2011 Prager Riesling Smaragd Achleiten

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

    (9/15/2023)

    This had also been opened 2 days ago. Full yellow. Musky peach aromas. Similar weight and roundness as the 2022, but the attack is sweeter. Low pitched stone fruit, secondary flavors, nice earth running through it, and a gently fading finish. Lovely understated mature Riesling.

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  • 2022 Prager Riesling Smaragd Klaus

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

    (9/15/2023)

    Light to medium weight. More lean and angular than the other 2 Riesling Smaragds. Deep dry yellow peach, very good acidity, and exceptional stone and soil. This magnificent rocky base more than compensates for the relatively lower acidity and should carry this forward for many years. Beautiful dry Riesling.

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  • 2022 Prager Riesling Smaragd Wachstum Bodenstein

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

    (9/15/2023)

    Nose dominated by green herbs. Medium to light weight, delicate like the Achleiten. Dry and citric brisk acidity and excellent limestone. Young, linear, and finely detailed. This one leaves the gums tingling. I think these last 2 Rieslings capture the classicism and quality of the Prager wines at their best, and this from a year that had significant challenges.

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  • 2021 Prager Riesling Auslese Achleiten

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

    (9/15/2023)

    Dull yellow. Slightly sweet nose. Fuller body, not terribly sweet, great acidity. Unusual combination of herb and yellow peach with drying acidity and soil. Interesting but not well integrated at the moment. I’m not sure that I would enjoy the divergent elements more with additional time since the green component seems odd in a late harvested sweeter wine.

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