Tasting #1: Franz Hirtzberger Grüner Veltliner Rotes Tor Smaragd 2017

 

For my first post (well, second. But the first one was just an introduction. This is the first first post) I thought I would begin with a bit of celebration! 

My birthday was last week and I asked my local wine shop spot what they would recommend for a special wine. I planned to have salmon in a Dijon mustard sauce accompanied by green beans. In the end, we discussed some varietals and he pointed me towards the 2017 Franz Hirtzberger Grüner Veltliner Rotes Tor Smaragd.

This wine comes from the Wachau region of Austria near the town of Spitz an der Donau. Franz Hirtzberger has overseen the family’s 20 hectares of terraces since 1983, comprising Weingut Franz Hirtzberger. His father, also Franz, previously oversaw the property as was one of the founders of Vinea Wachau, an organization promoting wine producers in the area which now stands at over 200 estates. Harvest is done by hand and follows the "Codex Wachau", which reflects typical characteristics of the region, namely that they are dry white wines, made without the addition of sugar or detectable wood influence. 

This wine is 100% Grüner Veltliner from soil characterized by gneiss, mica and slate with a brown earth layer. Smaragd is a trademarked name used for the most treasured wines from the Vinea Wachau members. The alcohol content of these wines begin at 12.5% by volume, they must achieve the highest grape ripeness and natural concentration, and they must display meaningful aging potential.

The 2017 harvest in the region was small, but high in quality. While January was cold, February and March brought greater warmth. By April, severe frosts arrived. The Summer months were hot and dry before heavy rains by the end of August.

According to Vinea Wachau, the first shoots of the vines appeared very early at the beginning of April. Vineyards were at risk of frost in the second week of April, requiring winemakers to react quickly to protect against extensive damage. Ultimately, damage to the vines was limited to only a few areas an flowering at the beginning of June proved satisfactory. Drip irrigation played a major role for that year’s vines as a result of Summer droughts. Vineyards that were not equipped needed to be painstakingly watered on a regular basis. Winemakers were happy when rain came in mid-August, while September also saw much lower temperatures. Harvest began relatively early, in mid-September, and was completed in October, rendering very clean grapes. 

Without further ado, I will post my notes below. 

P.S.: Have you tried this wine before? Have you tried another wine from Franz Hirtzberger or other Wachau wineries? Let me know!

Here are my notes:

Appearance - Burnished Copper 

On the Nose - Green Apple, Vanilla, Overripe Pear, Caramelized Butter, Honeysuckle 

Taste - Green Apple, Poached Pear, Buttered Toast, Kettle Corn, Vanilla, White Pepper, Lemon Peel, Ginger, Marjoram, Oregano, Chalk 

Overall - A special wine. Glad to have received this suggestion. The wine is rich and bodied, but maintains minerality and balanced acidity. I was surprised at the rich, caramel notes, but greatly appreciated the style. This brings a full mouthfeel and could also pair well with fondue, raclette, flammkuchen, schnitzel, or pork roast.