Vinous

• By Joel B. Payne
  Jul-13, IWC Issue #10144, 7/1/2013 (link)

  (Ludwig Hiedler Riesling Heiligenstein) Subscribe to see review text.

Terry Theise Estate Selections

• By Terry Theise
  2012 Austrian Catalog, 6/1/2012 (link)

  (Hiedler Riesling Heiligenstein) ($54.00) The wine is utterly superb, and I am furious. Why? Because even though it has less than 9 grams/liter of residual sugar, it has 2 grams more RS than grams/liter of acid, so it’s technically a Halbtrocken, even though the wine tastes dry. Because of the silly DAC rules, this wine can’t be labeled “Kamptal” and must be declassified to “Niederösterreich” (the state of Lower Austria). It also shouldn’t have the designation “ErsteLage,” but Ludwig labeled it 1er Cru anyway, probably unaware that he shouldn’t, because a great site is a great site regardless of the ratio of grams per liter acid and sugar. For a high alcohol wine (14.3%) it’s immense and smoky but neither tiring nor ungainly, it’s so exotic and tropical and sweet-green. + (+)

• By Terry Theise
  2012 Austrian Catalog, 6/1/2012 (link)

  (Hiedler Riesling Heiligenstein) ($118.00) The wine is utterly superb, and I am furious. Why? Because even though it has less than 9 grams/liter of residual sugar, it has 2 grams more RS than grams/liter of acid, so it’s technically a Halbtrocken, even though the wine tastes dry. Because of the silly DAC rules, this wine can’t be labeled “Kamptal” and must be declassified to “Niederösterreich” (the state of Lower Austria). It also shouldn’t have the designation “ErsteLage,” but Ludwig labeled it 1er Cru anyway, probably unaware that he shouldn’t, because a great site is a great site regardless of the ratio of grams per liter acid and sugar. For a high alcohol wine (14.3%) it’s immense and smoky but neither tiring nor ungainly, it’s so exotic and tropical and sweet-green. + (+)