2012 Riesling Smaragd Steinertal

"Two thousand fourteen produced barely half a normal crop," said Leo Alzinger, a touch smitten with regret when I arrived. Fortunately, I had come to taste the 2013s, which put a smile back onto his face. "It is one of our best vintages," he added, and it played well to his style. A late harvest with perfect physiological ripeness and not too much alcohol, it meshed exactly with Alzinger's goal of making crisp, elegant wines. "I would have liked to have stored more bottles for myself," he said, "but we have no space."

During my visit in February, we tasted only the Smaragds, which now account for over half of total production here. As Alzinger has made no Steinfeder since 2001, most of the rest of his wine is Federspiel. There is no question but that the Smaragds are the finest wines that this estate produces, but in terms of drinkability the lower alcohol levels of the latter wines can be an advantage.

Whenever I sit down to taste with Alzinger, I have the feeling that he would rather be in the vineyards. That is his true home. As his just over 10 hectares of vines encompass more than 50 parcels, though, he may be at a loss as to where to rest his head. Be that as it may, better vineyard management, lower yields, later harvests and global warming have certainly combined to further improve the already high average quality at this estate. While his style remains lighter, more austere and more reductive than many of his colleagues, his wines have more than enough flesh for the long haul.

This has long been one of my favorite producers in the Wachau. Alzinger's are perhaps not the wines that receive the highest scores, but they are first bottles to be empty. Although his wines remain lighter, more austere and more reductive than those of many of his colleagues, they have put on flesh since son Leo Alzinger came back to the estate in 2000. In fact, the Alzingers have made no Federspiel since 2001. Part of that can be put down to better vineyard management, lower yields, later harvests and global warming, but nonetheless it plays into the current demand for Smaragd. There is no question that these are some of the finest wines that this estate produces, but I wonder what they would be like if they were harvested at modest maturity. (www.alzinger.at) Also recommended: 2012 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Frauengarten (86), 2012 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Muhlpoint (87).