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Franz Hirtzberger, Riesling Hochrain Smaragd, 2002

White Wine from Wachau, Austria
$109.99
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This 2002 Hochrain Riesling Smaragd from Hirtzberger has spent more than twenty years in bottle, and that kind of time is what the Wachau's most serious Rieslings are made for. Hirtzberger is one of the two pillars of the Wachau. The estate sits at the cooler western end of the region, in the tiny village of Spitz between the mountains and the Danube, and its wines are known for minerality and purity more than sheer power. Hochrain is one of the terraced sites behind that reputation. Its soil is weathered crystalline rock under a thin layer of sandy loam. Smaragd denotes a later stage of ripeness, named for a tiny emerald-green lizard that darts among the vines. Riesling is the family's true passion: bone-dry, but full of savory complexity. If your only Smaragds have been young ones, this bottle shows what happens when someone waits. Open it with a serious dinner.

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More about Franz Hirtzberger

Franz Hirtzberger and F.X. Pichler are the two greatest producers of the Wachau and arguably of dry white wines in Austria. Located in the tiny village of Spitz, surrounded by mountains and the Danube, Hirtzberger makes Riesling that tastes like pure minerality and precision. His terraced vineyard names—Hochrain, Singerriedel, Steinporz—are synonymous with the greatest wines of the region.

Wine Details

  • Grape Variety

    Riesling

  • Vintage

    2002

  • Size

    750ml

  • Farming Practice

    Traditional

  • Style

    Crisp

  • Sweetness

    Dry

  • Body

    Medium Bodied

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Tasting Notes & Food Pairings

Perfect Pairings

Roast pork loin with apples, Alsatian choucroute garnie, trout with brown butter and almonds, roast chicken with morels and cream, Wiener schnitzel, aged Gruyère or Comté.

Tasting Profile

Expect the classic profile of a mature Wachau Smaragd Riesling: dried apricot, peach and citrus peel shading into honeyed, savoury and gently petrol-like notes, over a stony, flinty minerality. Typically full-bodied yet bone-dry, with Riesling's bright acidity keeping the richer texture taut, and a long, savoury, mineral finish.

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