Domane Wachau Gemischter Satz Smaragd Ried Vorderseiber 2020, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Wachau, Austria

Domäne Wachau is, as the name suggests, deeply rooted in the Wachau region. Close to 440 hectares of vineyards are cultivated by the members of this quality-oriented cooperative, which accounts for 30 percent 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, making it the only winery in Wachau with wines from all of the most prestigious sites in the region.

From the Ried Vorderseiber that was planted in the middle of the 1920s, the 2020 Gemischter Satz Uralt-Reben Smaragd was vinified in 500-liter tonneau and was bottled in June just a few days before I tasted it. The wine is precise and flinty on the nose but also reductive, pure and stony. Fresh and piquant on the palate, this bone-dry and herbal field blend reveals an untamed and quite phenolic character at this early stage. It is very salty on the citric finish with fine tannins.

Vol: 750ml
ABV: 13%