2002 Riesling Smaragd Hochrain

Hirtzberger's set of 2002s was as consistently exciting a collection as this vintage held in store, and no lover of Austrian wines will want to be without some of these wines in his or her cellar.One need sniff and look no further than the ostensibly simple Steinfeder for both an impression of the high overall quality and an inkling of how it was achieved:that particular wine was picked on October 16 and November 9.With breaks for rainy periods, the intensively selective harvest here extended for two full months. To separate the good from the bad," says Hirtzberger, "it was necessary for the pickers to be tasting grapes constantly."The 2002s here tread with remarkable delicacy and agility while deploying enormous extract and ripeness.(Vin Divino)