October 31, 2023 - From magnum. Well this was a surprise. The opulence I found when I last opened this in 2015 has receded to show a much more refined expression of mature dry Riesling, with the emphasis now on a panoply of effusive flowers and apricot. The palate has relaxed into a broad presentation of various stone fruits, stony minerals, with an underlying acidity keeping it fresh while totally harmonious with the whole. Very good and very interesting. Not sure I would buy it in magnums again, but this was a pleasure.
July 24, 2022 - Enjoyed this a lot more than I did 10 years ago. Not as drying, more fruit. Apple, lemon/lime, a bit of cream. No rush to drink but I see no reason to hold
January 16, 2021 - This is definitely one of those wines that makes you think. That's a supreme compliment in some cases. In others, like this one, its not necessarily a knock, but rather because you (I) never quite figured it out.
Still very tightly wound upon opening. After a couple of hours of decanting it relaxed a bit, but almost too much. The fruit and minerality came and went, but were always seemingly overpowered by the bitterness.
My last bottle a few years ago left me with the impression it needed more time; this bottle makes me think it might not ever fully integrate as the Achleiten has. Still a very enjoyable dry riesling that isn't shy to flaunt some of the benefits of its age, but not the complete package right now.
July 10, 2020 - From memory, as expected fuller than a dry German riesling, and also a little less acidic. So the texture and feel is more mainstream while of course the flavors are all of the variety. Tasty, balanced, and not too much for lighter foods. Enjoyed with crab cakes.
November 10, 2019 - Unlike the Achleiten and Klaus, this hasn't budged much. It still feels very primary and painfully young, needing a lot of time to open up. Dominated by primary fruit on the first night, but leftovers the second night show far more aromatic complexity and mineral depth.
June 24, 2019 - From one of the highest vineyards in the Wachau, at a height of about 450m. Part of Hinter Seiber. Gneiss/paragneiss subsoil, very rocky with a pretty meager topsoil. Planted down the slope, not terraced. The new plantings aren't trellised here either, they're stake-trained in the Stockultur method. Prone to a bit of erosion. Young-ish vines, a massale selection of Riesling clones selected by Toni Bodenstein. Picked very ripe and fermented mostly dry. Some botrytis included depending on the year, but at these heights the vineyard escapes a lot of the humidity.
Deep yellow-gold colour. Smells of apricots and yellow peaches. Has a little honeyed/candied edge to it. Lots of floral aromas, lots of orange blossom and a little marzipan/chemically thing in the background. Mouth coating palate, tons of dry extract. High acid though. Vividly mineral, lots of flint/slight reduction.
Very intense wine, not everyone's idea of dry Riesling but this is very true to place and I think it's delicious. This bottle is a lot better than the one from my last note, I feel this is more how it should be.
August 24, 2018 - Considered decanting but this looked pretty open for business from the start. Lots of tropical fruit, honeydew melon, lemon rind, a little lychee, a touch of something smoky and spicy there in the background.
Palate feels a little oily and sappy with lots of dry extract, some honeyed, slightly candied flavours. Feels like the higher end of RS for Smaragd.
Acid feels a touch low and for me doesn’t quite reach the heights it needs to in order to counteract the weight and texture on the palate. A medium-long finish with some citrusy, pithy bitterness on the end.
Overall, not as explosive as I expected. Looks a little subdued. Nice wine but I wanted a bit more (aromatics and freshness) from it.
Edit: I smelled the cork the next day and it reeked of TCA (there was no sign of taint when I first opened the bottle). Might go a way to explaining why this looked a bit stripped.
March 13, 2017 - I would echo Salil's notes from 6/16 almost precisely! I would only counter the weight as being more medium body than full. Surprisingly super dry. But otherwise notes are precise.
June 30, 2016 - Dry Riesling and Burgundy night (Olea, New Haven): From magnum, and not surprisingly this feels incredibly youthful. There's no sign of development here - it's still incredibly primary with fresh citrus and peach fruit, bright floral notes, and an intense stony and crystalline minerality beneath the fruit. This is full bodied with a slightly oily texture, but at the same time there's more than enough acidity to balance it perfectly.
June 22, 2016 - A nose of citrus and spice, medium straw in color. A light to medium bodied white, with orange, lemon and some smoke and spice on long finish, refreshing. www.winelx.com