2000 Franz Hirtzberger Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Honivogl- Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau (8/24/2013)
Bronze/gold in the glass. Nice minerality on the nose, with orange marmalade scents and a whiff of something like rose petal.
Nice framing acidity - quite deelish! Lengthy finish as well, with a slight astringent note at the very end. I like this.
You know, while I drink my fair share of Austrian wine (and compared to fellow WB members, much more than my fair share), I have to admit that I focus the vast majority of my attention on riesling.
The way this wine is drinking today could make me call into question why I have “ignored” gruner veltliner in my past purchasing decisions, as this is one nice wine right now.
I’m in kind of the same boat. Went through a Gruner phase a few years back, then decided that Riesling was more to my preferences. Notes like this make me question that choice, but the fact that I have zero locker space might keep me from reversing that decision
Thanks for the note!
Riesling from Austria just hits my “sweet spot” - I find many of the German wines too sweet, and while I like certain Alsatian wines, for whatever reason quality Austrian producers like Prager, Hirtzberger, Nikolaihof and Alzinger just seem to speak to me a little more directly.
That said, I have generally liked Hirtzberger’s Rotes Tor GV bottling, but other than that, can’t say as I have sought out many GV’s.
Lately, I have become a whore for Smaragd Austrian Rieslings and Gruners (Prager, Alzinger, R Pichler, Hirtzberger). They taste wonderful young, but what do you generally think the optimum age is for each? I see Steve likes to give the Gruners 3 to 5 years, but I also hear others loving them with 10 or 20 plus years on them. Thoughts?
With most Austrian Rieslings and Grüner Veltliners,3-5 years sort of gets them onto a plateau where they’re showing what they’re about. From a good vintage, 10+ years will bring out more character in terms of showing the specific terroir. Smaragds are indeed wonderful after a long time in the cellar, but I prefer Federspiel wines on the young side. (and don’t forget the Sauvignon Blancs being made in Steiermark - they’re impressive and can hold their own alongside wine made from the same variety in the Loire or New Zealand).
Bob,
Still have a few bottles of the '99 in the cellar - lovely wine.
I remember Terry Thiese saying gurner was one of the most long lived white wines. I suspect the '99 Honivogl has the capacity to outlive me; I would, however, be surprised if I let it.
Best, Jim
Since we are on the topic of Austrian Gruners aging, what do people think something like the Nigl Privat Gruner from '06 would have for a drinking curve? Some store by me is blowing these out at $20 a pop and it is a monster wine at almost 15% given the warm vintage.