Emmerich Knoll Ried Loibenberg Riesling 2024

This Riesling comes from the Ried Loibenberg, a vast terraced slope overlooking the village of Unterloiben, in the heart of the Wachau. Mostly south-facing, this steep vineyard lies mainly on Gföhl gneiss, streaked with veins of loess. This Wachau DAC origin combines sun-drenched ripeness, mineral tension and depth.

The grapes are harvested by hand in several passes. Fermentation takes place in stainless-steel tanks, followed by around eight months' ageing on the fine lees in large wooden vessels, without bâtonnage.

This wine reveals notes of white peach, apricot, orange zest, mandarin, lemon, pineapple, apricot blossom, white flowers, gunflint and saline minerality. The palate is broad and juicy, both supple and stretched out by ripe, vibrant acidity. The dense, complex fruit keeps a taut, precise line, while the long finish extends the flavours of citrus and rock.

For more than ten years, Austrian winegrowing has made an enormous leap in terms of wine quality. Today Austrian winemakers no longer produce cheap wines for mass consumption, but refined and complex wines. 65% of Austria's wine is white. Broadly speaking, Austrian wines are more powerful and richer than those of their German neighbour. The great national and most widely planted grape variety is Grüner Veltliner (a native white grape variety). Red wine production continues to grow in volume as well as in intensity and quality. In Burgenland above all, producers make the most of an original mix of local grape varieties (Blaufränkisch, Sankt Laurent, Zweigelt) and French ones (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir). Austria's climate is essentially continental, with cold winters and hot summers. The country is subject to 4 main influences: continental influences from Pannonia to the east, Atlantic influences to the west as well as cold winds from the north, and Mediterranean influences to the south. The Danube, meandering languidly through many vineyards, creates numerous microclimates.