Wachau Smaragd is of course the highest level of dry white Austrian wine, and this one is a beauty.
In fact, when we all tried it (and we drink a lot of these wines), none of us could believe just how ridiculously delicious this is. But then Martin Mittlebach speaks in wondrously awed tones about the 2021 vintage, now surely the finest of his illustrious career.
With 94 points from the German Falstaff (above even the 2019!), this is his top Smaragd from this great vineyard, named for a local monk who was beloved for helping children and the poor. They say:
Bright yellow green, silver reflections. Dark minerality, fine apple fruit, delicate orange zest and honeydew melon, with nuances of blossom honey underneath. Powerful, substantial, subtle pear fruit, faint sweetness on the finish, a spicy food wine with good length and ageing potential.
Indeed, they rate it above most vintages of Tegernseerhof’s top $70 Kellerberg Smaragd bottlings. And it really is that good in 2021.
