Weingut Emmerich Knoll Ried Loibenberg Gruner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau, Austria

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Ripe white peach, quince, and nut oils are backed by a lovely sense of glycerin- and extract sweetness in Knoll’s 2010 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Loibenberg, with hints of sugar snap pea and blond tobacco pointing to its varietal identity and a wealth of peppery, stony, and seemingly crystalline mineral nuances to its Urgestein origins. This rich yet refreshing Loibenberg ought to stand comparison with some of the estate’s best and be worth following for close to two decades. “Warmth and wind at the end of October gave Smaragd the extra push, especially for Gruner Veltliner,” notes Emmerich Knoll Senior, and his estate did not begin picking that category until the first week in November. “Up until then, it pretty much counted as settled that we wouldn’t bottle a 2010 Vinothek in either Riesling or Gruner Veltliner, which in fact we did. But I can’t recall when the Smaragd ever had acid levels identical to the Federspiel as happened this year. Not that I’m unhappy about this,” he adds with a laugh. “There have been and will be quite a few vintages in which we would be happy for some of 2010’s acidity.” A portion of the Riesling Federspiel crop was de-acidified as must. Total production was only around half of what Knoll considers normal. None of the Smaragd – collectively, almost unbelievably, representing the heart of one of the finest Knoll collections in memory – was not due to have been bottled until late this summer.Importer: Circo Vino Besenville, IL; tel. (417) 732 4200

8 The Knoll Gruner style is for a hint of steel, doses of minerality and not too much ornateness despite the wonderfully elaborate traditional bottle labels. The intense fruit, spice and peach character is balanced by acidity, a taut, nervy edge. It will certainly age for 5–6 years.——R.V.(12/31/2010)—— 94