1997 Riesling Smaragd Hochrain

The wide daily temperature swings at this western end of the Wachau, with consequent acid retention and gradual physiological ripening, dovetailed perfectly with the late heat of '97 to give truly momentous wines. Hirtzberger harvested only one small batch of steinfeder(which I didn't taste) because, by the time most of the fruit approached physiological ripeness in mid-October, sugars had already soared. The pickers here are trained to carefully select and sort the fruit right in the vineyards. Hirtzberger is gradually expanding his holdings in the Singerriedel, terracing and planting a portion of that famed site which his father had purchased in the '50s but allowed to grow over with trees. He told me once again: "We don't want the estate to get any bigger. I haven't changed my opinion [about that]. But when it Singerriedel ... ." His voice trails off with a smile of well-earned satisfaction.