Important Update From the Founder
Read message >
Austrian Estate Visits
In and around the Wachau valley
Tasted September 13, 2023 - September 15, 2023 by drwine2001 with 105 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)
White
2016 Nikolaihof Riesling Federspiel Late Release
Light yellow. Floral, herbal aromas. Light weight. Lemon and herb, excellent acidity, but less mineral than the regular 2022 Federspiel. Some texture imparted by wood.
White
2017 Nikolaihof Riesling Smaragd Vom Stein
Sharp fruit scents. Light, elegant weight but some creaminess with discrete, integrated neutral oak. Excellent acidity, energetic and youthful, terrific drive, and soil-filled finish.
White
2017 Nikolaihof Riesling Reserve Steiner Hund
Light color. Some early varnish/petrol. Lean and lithe. Dry, mineral, and lemony. No wood influence here. I love its impact and coverage despite its lighter weight. Excellent young brisk Riesling.
White
2016 Nikolaihof Riesling Privatreserve Klause Am Berg Riesling
What a contrast to the 2017 Steiner Hund! Rich, complex nose with much more ripe fruit. Medium weight, excellent concentration, minimal residual sugar, bright orange peel, long soil finish and a lemony back end. Very textural. I really liked this even if it is broader and not quite as tightly focused.
White
2015 Nikolaihof Riesling Im Weingebirge "Baumpresse"
Spent 6 years in cask. Medium yellow. Ripe citrus and other orchard fruit. Just off dry, floral in the mouth. Elegant feel with a light wood touch, good acidity provides a nice sweet/tart balance, lots of soil on the finish.
White
1997 Nikolaihof Riesling Fass Severin Vinothek
Twenty five years in cask. Astoundingly light color. Subtle botanical herb and petrol. Light to medium body, dry. Still youthful, glycerine, and long with an exotic fruit note. I was thrilled to taste this outstanding wine from a great vintage.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2014 Nikolaihof Nikolauswein Trockenbeerenauslese
50/50 Riesling and Grüner Veltliner with 230 grams of sugar. Golden color. Botrytis and caramel. Quite sweet and rich but not unctuous because of its lively acidity. Fig, sultana, and spice. It stays with you long after it is swallowed and should last for decades.
Flight 2 - Hirtzberger (6 notes)
White
2022 Franz Hirtzberger Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Rotes Tor
Musky citrus. Medium weight. Bitter citrus, good acidity, pear soil, some soil. Very good.
White
2022 Franz Hirtzberger Weissburgunder Smaragd Steinporz
Apple aromas and flavors. Light to medium weight. More Granny Smith in the mouth with some earth. Good.
White
2022 Franz Hirtzberger Grauburgunder Smaragd Pluris
Herbal. Light to medium body with a bit of soil but neutral flavors. Not much here.
White
2022 Franz Hirtzberger Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Axpoint
Herb and citrus. Wonderful silky texture-medium weight and glycerine. Again, citrus and a touch of bitters. Average acidity but excellent soil finish. Probably for the nearer term.
White
2022 Franz Hirtzberger Riesling Smaragd Setzberg
Light color. Striking pine tones. Medium weight, not much intensity. Very herbal, some soil, little fruit. Odd balance, just too green.
White
2022 Franz Hirtzberger Riesling Smaragd Steinporz
Light yellow. Some herbs mixed with ripe apple and pear. Fragrant. Medium to light weight, better mouth feel than the Setzberg. Discretely sweet fruit on the attack, better acidity although still on the lowish side, properly austere soil finish. A step up in intensity and richness but still well short of exciting.
Flight 3 - Jamek (6 notes)
White
2022 Weingut Josef Jamek Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Stein am Rain
Light, fresh honey blossom scent. Medium weight, good acidity, cyanic back end. Very good but the midpalate lacks concentration.
White
2022 Weingut Josef Jamek Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Liebenberg
Finer floral aromas. Herb and pear. Medium weight, very fluid. Just off dry, moderate soil, shorter finish. Loose due to lower acidity.
White
2022 Weingut Josef Jamek Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten
Lower register aromas. Lighter weight and tighter than the Leibenberg. Elegant with good concentration of fruit and soil, but dulled by lower acidity.
White
2022 Weingut Josef Jamek Riesling Federspiel Klaus
Dull yellow. Sweet apple. Pure apple fruit on the entry, medium body, bright acidity, good soil finish. Good.
White
2022 Weingut Josef Jamek Riesling Smaragd Freiheit
More airy, higher toned nose. Light to medium weight. Forward flavors of bright citrus with excellent acidity. The finish is crisp with a light stone influence, but this wine is driven by fruit, not minerality.
White
2022 Weingut Josef Jamek Riesling Smaragd Klaus
Same dull yellow color. Deeper, complex aromas of pear and subtle botanical herbs. Serious and dry, concentrated peach in the mouth. Very good acidity, but an excellent, resonant finish that is chock full of soil. Glossy but not fat at all. The best wine in the range of thing we tasted, and potentially outstanding.
Flight 4 - Nigl (7 notes)
White
2022 Nigl Grüner Veltliner Herzstück vom Kirchenberg
Lower pitched. More herb and earth savory elements, less fruity, and less volume than the first GV.
White
2022 Nigl Grüner Veltliner 1ÖTW Privat Pellingen
Light yellow. Rich entry. Zingy citrus and guava. Mouth filling glycerine feel and excellent acidity.
White
2022 Nigl Riesling Senftenberger Piri
Delicate light clean orange and grapefruit with excellent acidity, minerality, and soil on the finish. This was one of the bounciest 2022s we tasted, and I loved how it danced across the palate.
White
2022 Nigl Riesling Goldberg
Light yellow. Melon and grapefruit. Medium bodied, off dry. Green fruit, slightly lower acidity, moderate soil. I preferred the liveliness of the Piri, but this is more complex at the moment.
White
2022 Nigl Riesling 1ÖTW Privat Hochäcker
Dry apple. Light to medium weight, great fruit/soil interplay and balance. I really enjoyed its balance and early complexity. Excellent.
White
2012 Nigl Grüner Veltliner Herzstück vom Kirchenberg
Medium yellow. Funky aromas. Rich, slightly sweet, almost unctuous in feel. Short, oxidative finish. Why even show this wine??
White
2011 Nigl Riesling Goldberg
flawed
Dull yellow. Off, oxidized aromatics. Rich, round peach fruit and excellent acidity, but it is plodding with excessive ABV and has an odd chemical finish. The two older wines that ended the tasting did not do this producer justice. The only defense is that I have no sense of how long these bottles had been open.
Flight 5 - Grabenwerkstatt (7 notes)
White
2022 Grabenwerkstatt Grüner Veltliner Wachauwerk
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.
White
2022 Grabenwerkstatt Grüner Veltliner Grabenwerk
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!
White
2022 Grabenwerkstatt Grüner Veltliner Brandstatt
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.
White
2022 Grabenwerkstatt Riesling Bruck
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.
White
2022 Grabenwerkstatt Riesling Smaragd Kalkofen
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.
White
2022 Grabenwerkstatt Riesling Trenning
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.
White
2020 Grabenwerkstatt Riesling Smaragd Bruck
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.
Flight 6 - Prager (10 notes)
White
2022 Prager Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Hinter der Burg
Light fresh orange. Very good acidity, herb, and soil. Supple feel, some residual sugar, but drier finish. Nice entry level wine.
White
2022 Prager Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten
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.
White
2011 Prager Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten
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.
White
2022 Prager Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Wachstum Bodenstein
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.
White
2022 Prager Riesling Federspiel Steinriegl
Fresh, floral scents. All chalk, subtle grapefruit, and excellent acidity. Fairly unique flavor profile and more refreshing than any of the GV’s.
White
2022 Prager Riesling Smaragd Achleiten
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.
White
2011 Prager Riesling Smaragd Achleiten
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.
White
2022 Prager Riesling Smaragd Klaus
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.
White
2022 Prager Riesling Smaragd Wachstum Bodenstein
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.
White - Off-dry
2021 Prager Riesling Auslese Achleiten
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.