Winemaker Notes
Under a thin layer of humus, the vine roots dig deep in the hard, primary rock and bring forth extremely balanced wines with pronounced mineral character and refined elegance.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Where do you start to explain this truly amazing dry riesling that doesn't have anything to do with the regular world of wine? Extraordinarily delicate and complex nose that's so far removed from the normal world that a few regular adjectives say nothing about it. But, yes, this is sleek, very dry and mineral on the palate. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From Krems-Stein in the Kremstal DAC and thus not marketed as Smaragd (and not even under the Kremstal appellation, which seems to be the unwritten paragraph in the "Codex Wachau" of the Vinea Wachau group), the 2016 Ried Steiner Hund Riesling offers a clear, intense and savory nose of ripe (and overripe) fruits intermingled with crystalline salinity. On the palate, this is a tight, tart, firm and structured yet also intense and densely textured, very elegant and persistent Riesling with structuring tannins and a clear and defined finish with floral notes. This is impressive in its complexity, vitality and mineral drive. A gorgeous wine! 12.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork.
Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
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.