Frischengruber Ried Kreuzberg Gruner Veltliner Smaragd 2021 750ml

Very cool, wildflower and herb nose, then a very delicate and elegant palate for gruner veltliner. At the finish there’s a bit more pithiness than that suggests, but this is still a remarkably fine wine for this region and grape. Such an invigorating finish! Drink or hold.

A floral white with oolong and white pepper, this combines apple, citrus and mineral flavors with a slim yet medium-bodied frame. Its silky texture and seamlessness reveal its pedigree.

Home to 60-year-old vines and inherited from Georg’s Grandmother, this is among Frischengruber’s most prized sites. The Kreuzberg’s juxtaposition to the Dunkelsteiner Forest provides cool air drainage, and this in combination with a soil rich in paragneiss and amphibolite lead to well-structured wines. The Kreuzberg is a very species-rich dry site, home to rare orchid species encouraged and kept vital with organic farming and the absence of chemical treatment. Wines from the Kreuzberg may not have the fullness of the neighboring Kirnberg, but instead are very profound and elegant. Although facing north, the vineyards benefit from all day sun exposure due to their location at the northernmost tip of the Dunkelsteiner Forest. The vines are grown in traditional high culture and harvested by hand with a yield of around 5,000 kilograms per hectare. Typical harvest time is at the beginning of November, where botrytis is strictly eschewed, and only healthy grapes are selected.