2015 Riesling Smaragd Kellerberg

The father-and-son Emmerich Knoll team has turned in another impressive performance. “It’s strange,” noted the younger Knoll, “that acid deficiency has been a topic under discussion in this vintage, because we didn’t experience any. In fact, with some Federspiel, the acidity was so high that we were almost concerned about having the opposite problem.” As a result, I am reminded by the Grüner Veltliner in this collection of Wachau Riesling and by certain Rieslings of dry Mosel or Nahe Rieslings! And in another reversal of vintage typicity, among the classic dry wines in this collection I found the Grüner Veltliner as a group even more impressive than the Rieslings. Picking began in earnest here in the last days of September and continued well into November. “I think this year you can really taste in their typicity the fact that our Smaragde were picked late,” remarked Knoll senior, and I certainly wouldn’t disagree. Quite unexpectedly, the 2015 growing season ended up supplying the most numerous and largest volume of nobly sweet Knoll wines since 1995, and one of their strongest-ever collections in that genre. “Thanks to mid-October rain and sporadic resultant botrytis,” explained Knoll senior, “we had grapes in the Auslese range [of ripeness]. They stayed that way for a good 14 days. Then a strong wind blew up, and inside of three days the fruit shriveled.” The top wines were as usual not bottled until late summer, subsequent to my most recent tasting experiences described below. Knoll senior pointed out on my last visit a utilization of casks at his estate more widespread than I had realized: “Now that we have our new cellar” – in addition to still housing wines in the old cellar, connected by an under-street tunnel – “we have more flexibility for moving wine around, including between cask and tank. And anyway, since a harvest here typically lasts for six weeks, there is usually ample opportunity for fermenting certain lots of Federspiel or even Steinfeder in cask, then moving those wines into tank in time to free the casks for Smaragd.” (For details concerning this estate’s vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)