2016 Riesling Smaragd Kellerberg

Martin Mittelbach declared himself especially pleased by the alliance of richness with efficacious acidity exhibited by his vintage 2016 collection, and I wholeheartedly concur. “The combination of ripeness with levity and freshness is distinctive” for the Wachau, especially in the realm of Federspiel, noted Mittelbach, “but becoming increasingly rare.” The aforementioned combination was achieved from fruit picked late by vintage standards, with the main activity not coming until late October and the last grapes only arriving at the press house on December 1. (Interestingly, Riesling was finished ahead of the last Grüner Veltliner.) These results may well reflect the frequently expressed view of growers in Germany, as well as here, that grapes gain both aromatically and in the eventual expression of acidity by hanging through extended chill. “But remember,” said Mittelbach in connection with the length and lateness of his 2016 harvest, “that as December nears, days here are getting really short, so we get less and less picking accomplished.” A further factor contributing to alcoholic levity is Mittelbach’s willingness to flirt with residual sugar near the limits for legal Trockenheit, an approach that, as he points out, works well precisely because of the wines’ efficacious acidity. It’s interesting to note – whether or not this has contributed to the complexity of Tegernsee vintage 2016 Rieslings – that many of them finished fermenting only in January, which is late by estate standards.

The Tegernseerhof has been garnering highly enthusiastic notes from domestic and foreign critics for at least the past dozen years, during which time this fifth generation of Mittelbachs has been solely in charge. But either I was, albeit unintentionally, selling this estate short until a few years ago, or else there has been a serious recent ramping-up of quality and consistency. My conversations with Mittelbach tend to bolster the latter impression. (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.)