Winemaker Notes
Thought to be the oldest documented vineyard, the name “Im Weingebirge” dates back to the 5th Century. The wines from this vineyard are known to have impressive depth and minerality. The soil is varied with loess on the higher terraces and deep topsoil over primary rock lower down the slope. The wine ages on its lees in old barrels, giving creamy texture.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Demeter-certified 2017 Grüner Veltliner Ried Im Weingebirge Smaragd from Mautern is delicate yet intense on the pure, refined and elegant nose that shows ripe fruit intertwined with earthy notes. Round, refined and lush on the palate, with delicate but firm mineral acidity, this is a full-bodied and sustainably structured Veltliner with an intense, warming but elegant, finely grippy, saline and tensioned finish. 13% stated alcohol. Best After 2022.
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Wine Spectator
Features candied lime, white cherry, apple skin and spices. Supple and soft on the palate, with chive, white tea and blanched almond notes driven by savory acidity through the medium finish. Drink now.
Fun to say and delightfully easy to drink, Grüner Veltliner calls Austria its homeland. While some easily quaffable Grüners come in a one-liter—a convenient size—many high caliber single vineyard bottlings can benefit from cellar aging. Somm Secret—About 75% of the world’s Grüner Veltliner comes from Austria but the variety is gaining ground in other countries, namely Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the United States.
As Austria’s most prestigious wine growing region, the landscape of the Wachau is—not surprisingly—one of its most dramatic. Millions of years ago, the Danube River chiseled its way through the earth, creating steep terraces of decomposed volcanic and metamorphic rock. Harsh Ice Age winds brought deposits of ancient glacial dust and loess to the terrace’s eastern faces. Today these steep surfaces of nutrient-poor and fast draining soil are home to some of Austria’s very best sites for both Grüner Veltliner and Riesling.
Wachau is small, comprising a mere three percent of Austria’s vine surface and, considering relatively low yields, represents a miniscule proportion of total wine production. Diurnal temperature shifts in Wachau facilitate great balance of sugar and phenolic ripeness in its grapes. At night cold air from the Alps and forests in the northwest displace warm afternoon air, which gets sucked upstream along the Danube.
Its sites are actually so varied and distinct that more emphasis is going into vineyard-designated offerings even despite grape variety. Grüner Veltliner and Riesling are most prominent, but the region produces Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc (Weissburgunder), Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Zweigelt among other local variants.