Frischengruber - Riesling Ried Loibenberg Smaragd 2021 (750ml)
Price: $62.99
| Producer | Frischengruber |
| Country | Austria |
| Region | Wachau |
| Varietal | Riesling |
| Vintage | 2021 |
| Sku | 69346 |
| Size | 750ml |
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Frischengruber Description
In the heart of the Wachau, on the slightly obscure south bank of the Danube, Georg Frischengruber is realizing his dream. Georg is the fifth generation of his family to steward their estate, now 10 hectares, mostly old vine grüner veltliner and a smaller quantity of riesling. Since taking over from his father, Heinz, in 2010, Georg has trained his attention on meticulous handwork in the vines, incorporating organic viticulture, and focusing on natural fermentations, gentle pressing, and extended fine lees aging in the cellar, to gain added texture, complexity, and clarity. Rossatz – directly across the Danube from Dürnstein –- is where the mighty river tapers to its narrowest span as it makes an ancient bend. Vineyards here slope gently upwards from the riverbank to meet the undulating edge of the Dunkelstein forest. The microclimate combines some of the world’s starkest diurnal shifts with a growing season that can stretch well into November. These are ideal conditions for grüner veltliner, on loess, to pick up tension and finesse, with an unmistakably piquant and vivid Wachau profile. Georg’s Smaragd veltliners reach a salty, sappy, spring-loaded ideal. Riesling, grown on Urgestein (primary rock) and in cooler sites, gains body, yet remains focused and fine-boned. Above all, the through lines at Frischengruber are purity, precision, and clarity of vineyard expression.
Wine Advocate: 94 Points
Georg Frischengruber's 2021 Ried Loibenberg Loiben Riesling Smaragd offers a clear, deep and complex, rather coolish bouquet of crushed stones intertwined with herbal or vegetal Riesling aromas that are less fruit-driven than coolish and herbal. On the palate, this is a lush and intense yet enormously vital and citric Loibenberg Riesling with a dense and elegant texture and a long, savory and stimulating, grippy finish. A comparably ascetic Loibenherg but a fascinating and distinct one.
