October 16, 2023 - Dinner (Restaurant Hofmeisterei Hirtzberger, Wösendorf, AT): Glass: Zalto Bordeaux
I needed a wine that could go with the full seven course menu. I deliberately choose this bottle due to its high botrytis. Popped and poured.
Clear, glowing amber color. Beautiful complex and multi-layered nose with honey, beeswax, herbs, spices.
On the palate dry with noticeable residual sugar, high acidity and 14,5% abv, that was very well integrated. Beautiful complexity, tension and depth, very long finish. Went really well with the complex Menu. Great choice. 94
April 26, 2019 - Stellar. This has great balance and texture to it. Shows lychee and tropical notes. Still quite fresh. Lost a lot of the fat it had in its youth. Should be good for some years to come.
May 28, 2014 - Dinner in LA (b.o.s - Los Angeles, CA): served blind. Nose had Austrian notes of lychee, vanilla, and citrus. The palate was fleshy and powerful, but I thought it was much younger than a 1998. I guessed it was a Singerriedel, so I wasn’t too far off. Drinking very nicely with a lot of life left on it.
October 17, 2013 - First time I drank this it was an '07. It was delicious. The '98 we had tonight was amazing. Honeycomb and beeswax on the nose, flavors of golden apple, honey and pie crust with vibrant acidity on the thick syrupy palate. And a mid to long finish. A very complex wine that went perfect with fish tacos.
March 24, 2007 - Medium gold color. Fantastic, deep aromas of minerals and peaches. The palate is deep and unctuous, yet quite dry (relatively speaking) with terrific acidity; some tartrates settle out in the glass. This is what great riesling is all about. Terrific wine!
August 3, 2006 - A very interesting effect: the golden color and rich, honeyed nose of an aged dessert wine with the grapey flavor and steely acidity of a dry Riesling. Tasty.
July 26, 2006 - My first experience with Hirtzberger, I'll be buying more!
February 12, 2006 - Hirtzberger is the best producer of riesling in Austria in my opinion. The Hochrain vineyard is his 2nd best site after the Singerriedel vineyard. It is a relatively flat vineyard halfway up the hill from the Danube river. I recently tried the 2004 Hochrain and gave it a 91.
I could noy have been more pleased by this wine. Absolutely beautiful. Round and ripe fruit. It had a golden yellow color with some tartric crystals at the bottom of the bottle. Notes of pear, loam and fig. Just a hint of sweetness. Really a luscious and full bodied wine with a long finish. I'll have to go back and buy more. 92 points.