Prefer the old site?Launch →

Prager

On average, reported Toni Bodenstein, in 2016 he picked fruit at a full gram greater acidity and three-quarters of a percent lower potential alcohol than he had 2015, which are important reasons why his outstanding 2016 collection, while not stinting on ripeness or even richness, comes off as something of a welcome throwback to years of yore. “It wasn’t at all easy to get Smaragd from Grüner Veltliner,” he observed, a comment that would have struck growers as almost going without saying back when this category was established in the late 1980s. As a result, what little Grüner Veltliner Smaragd there is from 2016 at this address comes entirely from the Achleiten and Zwerithaler. But what a superb collection of Grüner Veltliner Bodenstein has rendered from this vintage! And that very much includes the Federspiel cuvée that, while named for a site (Hinter der Burg, “behind the castle”), benefits from the inclusion of grapes from vineyards that frequently yield small quantities of Smaragd. Similarly, there is neither a Kaiserberg nor a Steinriegl Riesling Smaragd from 2016.

During our September 2017 session, Bodenstein, in his usual highly informed and insightful fashion, was the first person to offer me a cogent explanation for the benefits of cool autumn nights not just for acid retention – which is obvious – but for building aromas and flavors in Riesling and Grüner Veltliner grapes. “The warmer it is,” he said, “the harder the vine has to work overnight at respiration and dissimilation and the more energy it has to expend for that purpose. To compensate, it doesn’t just tap the sugars that have accumulated during daytime assimilation – there aren’t enough of these – but also uses other easily stored molecules, notably malic acid but also monosaccharides” that could otherwise have enhanced the grapes’ flavor. (For many details about this estate, consult the introductions to my previous sets of tasting notes on its wines.)

From Austria’s Riesling & Grüner Veltliner: 2016’s Challenges Met (Dec 2018) by David Schildknecht

Reviews

Wines

Sort by default

2016 Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Hinter der Burg

Color: White

Subscriber Access Only

or Sign Up

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.