Updated: Mar 23, 2023
Cool, delicately vegetal scent with very restrained yellow-fruity aromas. Delicate, bright, excellent fruit, soft yeasty tones, a hint of nuttiness, animating acidity, tart-mineral and slightly grippy on the palate, good to perfect, quite firm, tart finish with dry herb notes. There are always tones of muscat, apricot chutney, ginger flavours and spice on the finish.
92 Falstaff, who wrote, 'Light yellow-green, silver reflections. Fine yellow tropical fruit on the nose, hints of mango and blossom honey with mineral notes and tangerine zest in the background. Light-footed, white fruit, elegant acidity with a lemony-salty finish.'
Robert et al. commended the 2018 vintage that this is a great summer wine. Domäne Wachau is, as the name suggests, deeply rooted in the Wachau region. Close to 440 hectares of vineyards are cultivated by this quality-oriented cooperative's members, accounting for 30 per cent of the entire Wachau vineyard area. Domäne Wachau's vineyards are found on steep terraces reinforced by old, dry-stone walls and are part of a World Cultural Heritage. Famous names like 'Achleiten', 'Kollmitz', 'Loibenberg' and 'Tausend-Eimer-Berg' are found on the Domäne Wachau's vineyard map. It is the only winery in Wachau with wines from all of the most prestigious sites in the region.
It is easy to write about this wine again because the memory is still vivid: powerful; rich; edging; crunchy, fresh and ripe fruit; total and intense; lots of minerality, structure and texture. Setting-wise, the area is terraced, direct South facing and acclaimed as the Cru with the most diverse soil, hence the vast and wild taste. Nevertheless, this wine is unmistakably a Wanchau Smaragd (ripeness)and an FX Pichler(full expression). ABV balanced at 12.5%. About right to crack one bottle now.
High scores and consistent tastings, such as:
JS 96. Welcome to the riesling desert island! Super-ripe with a wealth of orange, a hint of mango aromas and a lot of power. Lovely freshness at the long, full finish. Better than 2018, but there's no hurry to drink this. (10/2017). Edited.
WE96. A faint, flinty touch of reduction still informs this wine's lifted citrus scents. A taut, textured structure on the palate sends zesty lemon flavours darting across the tongue. This still needs to open up, but all the ingredients for an explosive citrus party are here. It has concentration, freshness, fruit and potential. This may become smoother but will remain beautifully slender. Drink 2020–2035. (AK) (3/2018). Edited
WS94. A floral style, exhibiting lavender, passion fruit and apricot flavours, while the acidity cuts through the midpalate, making this firm and focused, leaving a minerally impression before the dry, mouthwatering finish takes over. A bit tight at the moment, but the components are there. Give this a few years. (Edited)
RP94. The 2016 Ried Loibenberg Riesling Smaragd is stunningly precise, cool and fresh on the nose, displaying mango, passion fruit and yellow nectarine flavours. On the palate, this is a full-bodied, piquant and concentrated Riesling with a tight structure, lovely grip and tension from healthy, crisp skins. This is a great Loibenberg that needs 5-7 years to shine. (SR) (8/2017). Edited.
Achleiten is a legendary vineyard in the Wachau village of Weissenkirchen with Smaragd designation—the top category in the ripeness classification of white wines in Austria's Wachau Valley. Smaragd-designated wines are made from the ripest grapes in the Wachau and have a mandated minimum alcohol level of 12.5 per cent, which is difficult to reach in such colder regions. It is famous for wines with an inimitable mineral character. Dry stone walls dating back to the 12th century, which mount the steep slopes with silicate-rich soil, dominate this vineyard's landscape. Gneiss is the prevailing subsoil in the upper terraces, and dark, schistous amphibolites dominate the lower terraces.
Scores such as 94Falstaff and 93 Decanter are adequately high; other reviews are to publish shortly. Falstaff wrote, 'Fine nuances of fresh tropical fruit, delicate passion fruit and mango, mineral-lemon notes, and a hint of orange zest. Juicy, light white fruit, soft blossom honey, fresh acidity, light-footed, sticks well, delicately salty finish, and has excellent ageing potential.' Edited.
