Tegernseerhof - Riesling Ried Loibenberg Smaragd 2019

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In the range of Martin's Smaragd rieslings this wine is the most delicate and refreshing. It comes from one of the most warm sites in the Wachau (which is still much cooler than most parts of Austria's wine regions) and is often the first to be picked within the Smaragd rieslings. The numerous parcels that are scattered over this large hill give the wine a great balance of characters from sweet meyer lemon notes to the first pick of yellow stone fruits in early summer. The wine has a wonderfully refreshing spring-like feel that is decorated with flowers, acacia honey and the first grasses of spring. Indeed, spring and summer nuances are what this wine is all about.
The wine's earth impressions are as big of a part of this wine as the fruit, and Martin prides himself in the savory and subtle nature of his wines. Oh yes, there is much more than a small dose of minerality as well. Out of the glass, the wine leads with the impressions of river stone and freshly scratched metal, you know, like your carbon steel knife after a good scrubbing. It is a beautiful wine that is refreshingly delicate for a Smaragd and is loaded with plenty of brain to keep us wine geeks transfixed.

Tegernseerhof Description

Martin Mittelbach is a Wachau insider with an outsider’s perspective. He is the fifth generation of Mittelbachs to run the historical Tegernseerhof, an estate that goes further back than 1000 years. Despite the estate’s historical merit you couldn’t find a much more progressive winemaker with his own set of standards and way of thinking in this region. Martin took over the estate at a very young age and immediately changed the way things were done. As you could imagine, there was some friction with his father who preferred to make wines more on the sweeter side. Today, you would be hard pressed to find a more dry and straight style in the Wachau. The grapes are harvested and sorted rigorously to take out any botrytis grapes and then vinified and raised in stainless steel. They are harvested with no botrytis to keep the wines focused and tense. His wines are like his personality: intense, focused and highly intellectual. These laser beams are as far away from the often baroque style that can be found in this region. In every level his wines excel and can stand tall next to any of the greatest producers in Austria.

Wine Advocate: 94 Points

"The 2019 Ried Loibenberg Riesling Smaragd comes from three very different spots of this large cru. The wine opens with a clear and crunchy, ripe, concentrated and fleshy stone fruit aroma intertwined with flinty and herbal (woodruff) notes. Very elegant and refined on the palate, this is a complex, fresh and salty, beautifully vibrant, vital and aromatic Loibenberg Riesling with a firm, structured, finely grippy, bitter, crunchy and salty finish. Excellent! Drink 2021-2050"