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Producer name: Domäne Wachau

Wines:

2024 Grüner Veltliner Kellerberg Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2030 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2024 Grüner Veltliner Kellerberg Smaragd is golden and juicy but shy on the nose. The palate offers lovely pepper, generous fill, supple yeast and bundled brightness that sprays with liveliness and charm. Stony depth shines through and will carry this wine for a long time.

Producer Commentary:
Roman Horvath MW and Heinz Frischengruber presented their 2025 Federspiel and their unfiltered 2024 Smaragd wines, the latter now released a year later. They view this switch to a later release as only one stone in a far larger mosaic they have worked on for years. The duo pioneered insecticide- and herbicide-free viticulture in the region, inaugurated a vast composting and green manure program and trialed new forms of canopy management, all of which are now common practice. The fact that rare hoopoes (a salmon-pink bird) are once again nesting and breeding in their vineyards is just one happy result of all these measures. Horvath explained that their cooperative members work across 2,000 individually farmed parcels. The grower-members, who each look after one to three hectares of vineyard, are often engaged in mixed farming, including forestry, fishery and fruit cultivation. This ensures a holistic approach with no reliance on seasonal labor. Frischengruber noted that the harvest team thus consists of 1,000 people across one-third of the Wachau appellation’s surface who are all ambassadors for their way of farming.

Frischengruber said, “Everything about 2025 looked perfect. The summer was not hot, and we always had sufficient rain. What was different in 2025 was that summer evenings and nights were always cool. All these things set us up for a super vintage, but then it rained every two to three days during harvest.” Grüner Veltliner withstood everything without much trouble, but Riesling required much sorting. When the rain arrived, Riesling skins were already soft, and the bunches were susceptible to botrytis. “We had to be flexible and quick,” Frischengruber added. Picking started in mid-September and finished on October 20.

Tasting the wines is proof positive of the benefits of the domaine’s holistic philosophy. In the clean-cut, precise style of the contemporary Wachau, this portfolio showcases its cool-climate origins and stony soils. Horvath and Frischengruber have deliberately honed their winemaking techniques: musts now ferment with more turbidity, and all wines get more time on lees. The 2025s exude svelte energy, while the 2024s show immense precision, delineation, finesse and lasting freshness, despite the warm year. It is indeed rare that wines produced by a cooperative find a place in the top league of a region, but here, they clearly do.
2024 Grüner Veltliner Achleiten Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 97.0

Drinking window: 2030 - 2065

Tasting notes: The 2024 Grüner Veltliner Achleiten Smaragd is still shy on the nose and does not yet want to give its nature away. The palate is fully formed and smooth, spherical in shape yet reserved, leaving a trace of pepper and a whole lot of precision. A veil of phenolics shapes the mouthfeel and carries that pepper as the wine moves, undeterred, serene and self-assured. This is class and will take time to open up.

Producer Commentary:
Roman Horvath MW and Heinz Frischengruber presented their 2025 Federspiel and their unfiltered 2024 Smaragd wines, the latter now released a year later. They view this switch to a later release as only one stone in a far larger mosaic they have worked on for years. The duo pioneered insecticide- and herbicide-free viticulture in the region, inaugurated a vast composting and green manure program and trialed new forms of canopy management, all of which are now common practice. The fact that rare hoopoes (a salmon-pink bird) are once again nesting and breeding in their vineyards is just one happy result of all these measures. Horvath explained that their cooperative members work across 2,000 individually farmed parcels. The grower-members, who each look after one to three hectares of vineyard, are often engaged in mixed farming, including forestry, fishery and fruit cultivation. This ensures a holistic approach with no reliance on seasonal labor. Frischengruber noted that the harvest team thus consists of 1,000 people across one-third of the Wachau appellation’s surface who are all ambassadors for their way of farming.

Frischengruber said, “Everything about 2025 looked perfect. The summer was not hot, and we always had sufficient rain. What was different in 2025 was that summer evenings and nights were always cool. All these things set us up for a super vintage, but then it rained every two to three days during harvest.” Grüner Veltliner withstood everything without much trouble, but Riesling required much sorting. When the rain arrived, Riesling skins were already soft, and the bunches were susceptible to botrytis. “We had to be flexible and quick,” Frischengruber added. Picking started in mid-September and finished on October 20.

Tasting the wines is proof positive of the benefits of the domaine’s holistic philosophy. In the clean-cut, precise style of the contemporary Wachau, this portfolio showcases its cool-climate origins and stony soils. Horvath and Frischengruber have deliberately honed their winemaking techniques: musts now ferment with more turbidity, and all wines get more time on lees. The 2025s exude svelte energy, while the 2024s show immense precision, delineation, finesse and lasting freshness, despite the warm year. It is indeed rare that wines produced by a cooperative find a place in the top league of a region, but here, they clearly do.
2024 Grüner Veltliner Axpoint Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2030 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2024 Grüner Veltliner Axpoint Smaragd, from deeper soils at the foot of the Singerriedel, is peppery, spicy, bright and savory, with a lovely overtone of conifer. The palate tingles with pepper and brings concentration, body, boldness and precision. A beautiful expression of Grüner, it unites exactitude and a whole lot of flavor in a neat, contoured package. The finish shows all the power and drive.

Producer Commentary:
Roman Horvath MW and Heinz Frischengruber presented their 2025 Federspiel and their unfiltered 2024 Smaragd wines, the latter now released a year later. They view this switch to a later release as only one stone in a far larger mosaic they have worked on for years. The duo pioneered insecticide- and herbicide-free viticulture in the region, inaugurated a vast composting and green manure program and trialed new forms of canopy management, all of which are now common practice. The fact that rare hoopoes (a salmon-pink bird) are once again nesting and breeding in their vineyards is just one happy result of all these measures. Horvath explained that their cooperative members work across 2,000 individually farmed parcels. The grower-members, who each look after one to three hectares of vineyard, are often engaged in mixed farming, including forestry, fishery and fruit cultivation. This ensures a holistic approach with no reliance on seasonal labor. Frischengruber noted that the harvest team thus consists of 1,000 people across one-third of the Wachau appellation’s surface who are all ambassadors for their way of farming.

Frischengruber said, “Everything about 2025 looked perfect. The summer was not hot, and we always had sufficient rain. What was different in 2025 was that summer evenings and nights were always cool. All these things set us up for a super vintage, but then it rained every two to three days during harvest.” Grüner Veltliner withstood everything without much trouble, but Riesling required much sorting. When the rain arrived, Riesling skins were already soft, and the bunches were susceptible to botrytis. “We had to be flexible and quick,” Frischengruber added. Picking started in mid-September and finished on October 20.

Tasting the wines is proof positive of the benefits of the domaine’s holistic philosophy. In the clean-cut, precise style of the contemporary Wachau, this portfolio showcases its cool-climate origins and stony soils. Horvath and Frischengruber have deliberately honed their winemaking techniques: musts now ferment with more turbidity, and all wines get more time on lees. The 2025s exude svelte energy, while the 2024s show immense precision, delineation, finesse and lasting freshness, despite the warm year. It is indeed rare that wines produced by a cooperative find a place in the top league of a region, but here, they clearly do.
2024 Grüner Veltliner Schön Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2030 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2024 Grüner Veltliner Schön Smaragd is golden and offers a subtle fir resin note alongside yeast and tender apricot aromas. The palate shimmers with green pepper and citrus amid beautifully ripe stony notes, all channeled into freshness with gorgeous verve and brightness. Slender stoniness is the lasting impression.

Producer Commentary:
Roman Horvath MW and Heinz Frischengruber presented their 2025 Federspiel and their unfiltered 2024 Smaragd wines, the latter now released a year later. They view this switch to a later release as only one stone in a far larger mosaic they have worked on for years. The duo pioneered insecticide- and herbicide-free viticulture in the region, inaugurated a vast composting and green manure program and trialed new forms of canopy management, all of which are now common practice. The fact that rare hoopoes (a salmon-pink bird) are once again nesting and breeding in their vineyards is just one happy result of all these measures. Horvath explained that their cooperative members work across 2,000 individually farmed parcels. The grower-members, who each look after one to three hectares of vineyard, are often engaged in mixed farming, including forestry, fishery and fruit cultivation. This ensures a holistic approach with no reliance on seasonal labor. Frischengruber noted that the harvest team thus consists of 1,000 people across one-third of the Wachau appellation’s surface who are all ambassadors for their way of farming.

Frischengruber said, “Everything about 2025 looked perfect. The summer was not hot, and we always had sufficient rain. What was different in 2025 was that summer evenings and nights were always cool. All these things set us up for a super vintage, but then it rained every two to three days during harvest.” Grüner Veltliner withstood everything without much trouble, but Riesling required much sorting. When the rain arrived, Riesling skins were already soft, and the bunches were susceptible to botrytis. “We had to be flexible and quick,” Frischengruber added. Picking started in mid-September and finished on October 20.

Tasting the wines is proof positive of the benefits of the domaine’s holistic philosophy. In the clean-cut, precise style of the contemporary Wachau, this portfolio showcases its cool-climate origins and stony soils. Horvath and Frischengruber have deliberately honed their winemaking techniques: musts now ferment with more turbidity, and all wines get more time on lees. The 2025s exude svelte energy, while the 2024s show immense precision, delineation, finesse and lasting freshness, despite the warm year. It is indeed rare that wines produced by a cooperative find a place in the top league of a region, but here, they clearly do.
2024 Riesling Kellerberg Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2024 Riesling Kellerberg Smaragd is rounded from the off, offering yeasty earthiness, ethereal dried lemon lift and supple, ripe apple aromas. The palate brings citric concentration and apple-flesh texture, unfolding with streamlined generosity and brightness. This wine has all the verve of Riesling and all the power of 2024, with bold character and lasting length.

Producer Commentary:
Roman Horvath MW and Heinz Frischengruber presented their 2025 Federspiel and their unfiltered 2024 Smaragd wines, the latter now released a year later. They view this switch to a later release as only one stone in a far larger mosaic they have worked on for years. The duo pioneered insecticide- and herbicide-free viticulture in the region, inaugurated a vast composting and green manure program and trialed new forms of canopy management, all of which are now common practice. The fact that rare hoopoes (a salmon-pink bird) are once again nesting and breeding in their vineyards is just one happy result of all these measures. Horvath explained that their cooperative members work across 2,000 individually farmed parcels. The grower-members, who each look after one to three hectares of vineyard, are often engaged in mixed farming, including forestry, fishery and fruit cultivation. This ensures a holistic approach with no reliance on seasonal labor. Frischengruber noted that the harvest team thus consists of 1,000 people across one-third of the Wachau appellation’s surface who are all ambassadors for their way of farming.

Frischengruber said, “Everything about 2025 looked perfect. The summer was not hot, and we always had sufficient rain. What was different in 2025 was that summer evenings and nights were always cool. All these things set us up for a super vintage, but then it rained every two to three days during harvest.” Grüner Veltliner withstood everything without much trouble, but Riesling required much sorting. When the rain arrived, Riesling skins were already soft, and the bunches were susceptible to botrytis. “We had to be flexible and quick,” Frischengruber added. Picking started in mid-September and finished on October 20.

Tasting the wines is proof positive of the benefits of the domaine’s holistic philosophy. In the clean-cut, precise style of the contemporary Wachau, this portfolio showcases its cool-climate origins and stony soils. Horvath and Frischengruber have deliberately honed their winemaking techniques: musts now ferment with more turbidity, and all wines get more time on lees. The 2025s exude svelte energy, while the 2024s show immense precision, delineation, finesse and lasting freshness, despite the warm year. It is indeed rare that wines produced by a cooperative find a place in the top league of a region, but here, they clearly do.
2024 Riesling Achleiten Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 97.0

Drinking window: 2030 - 2065

Tasting notes: The 2024 Riesling Achleiten Smaragd is a picture of crushed yarrow and salty stone. On the palate, that tender, fused savor of herb and rock carries through as a touch of plum appears. Already, this is a unity, a wonderful composite of site, savor, salt and grape that travels unimpeded and moves totally under its own steam, propelled by an inner energy that comes from deep inside that slope. Bottled energy in a most elegant package, it moves with poise and self-evident, delicious serenity. This goes all the distance.

Producer Commentary:
Roman Horvath MW and Heinz Frischengruber presented their 2025 Federspiel and their unfiltered 2024 Smaragd wines, the latter now released a year later. They view this switch to a later release as only one stone in a far larger mosaic they have worked on for years. The duo pioneered insecticide- and herbicide-free viticulture in the region, inaugurated a vast composting and green manure program and trialed new forms of canopy management, all of which are now common practice. The fact that rare hoopoes (a salmon-pink bird) are once again nesting and breeding in their vineyards is just one happy result of all these measures. Horvath explained that their cooperative members work across 2,000 individually farmed parcels. The grower-members, who each look after one to three hectares of vineyard, are often engaged in mixed farming, including forestry, fishery and fruit cultivation. This ensures a holistic approach with no reliance on seasonal labor. Frischengruber noted that the harvest team thus consists of 1,000 people across one-third of the Wachau appellation’s surface who are all ambassadors for their way of farming.

Frischengruber said, “Everything about 2025 looked perfect. The summer was not hot, and we always had sufficient rain. What was different in 2025 was that summer evenings and nights were always cool. All these things set us up for a super vintage, but then it rained every two to three days during harvest.” Grüner Veltliner withstood everything without much trouble, but Riesling required much sorting. When the rain arrived, Riesling skins were already soft, and the bunches were susceptible to botrytis. “We had to be flexible and quick,” Frischengruber added. Picking started in mid-September and finished on October 20.

Tasting the wines is proof positive of the benefits of the domaine’s holistic philosophy. In the clean-cut, precise style of the contemporary Wachau, this portfolio showcases its cool-climate origins and stony soils. Horvath and Frischengruber have deliberately honed their winemaking techniques: musts now ferment with more turbidity, and all wines get more time on lees. The 2025s exude svelte energy, while the 2024s show immense precision, delineation, finesse and lasting freshness, despite the warm year. It is indeed rare that wines produced by a cooperative find a place in the top league of a region, but here, they clearly do.
2024 Riesling Singerriedel Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2030 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2024 Riesling Singerriedel Smaragd offers subtle charm, flirting with apricot tenderness and a seductive citrus foliage perfume. The super-juicy palate is pristine, linear and ripe, with wonderfully delineated white peach, pale apricot and lemon. Full of fruit and stone, it drives forward with citrus freshness and hits the spot, enduring with beautiful, slender poise.

Producer Commentary:
Roman Horvath MW and Heinz Frischengruber presented their 2025 Federspiel and their unfiltered 2024 Smaragd wines, the latter now released a year later. They view this switch to a later release as only one stone in a far larger mosaic they have worked on for years. The duo pioneered insecticide- and herbicide-free viticulture in the region, inaugurated a vast composting and green manure program and trialed new forms of canopy management, all of which are now common practice. The fact that rare hoopoes (a salmon-pink bird) are once again nesting and breeding in their vineyards is just one happy result of all these measures. Horvath explained that their cooperative members work across 2,000 individually farmed parcels. The grower-members, who each look after one to three hectares of vineyard, are often engaged in mixed farming, including forestry, fishery and fruit cultivation. This ensures a holistic approach with no reliance on seasonal labor. Frischengruber noted that the harvest team thus consists of 1,000 people across one-third of the Wachau appellation’s surface who are all ambassadors for their way of farming.

Frischengruber said, “Everything about 2025 looked perfect. The summer was not hot, and we always had sufficient rain. What was different in 2025 was that summer evenings and nights were always cool. All these things set us up for a super vintage, but then it rained every two to three days during harvest.” Grüner Veltliner withstood everything without much trouble, but Riesling required much sorting. When the rain arrived, Riesling skins were already soft, and the bunches were susceptible to botrytis. “We had to be flexible and quick,” Frischengruber added. Picking started in mid-September and finished on October 20.

Tasting the wines is proof positive of the benefits of the domaine’s holistic philosophy. In the clean-cut, precise style of the contemporary Wachau, this portfolio showcases its cool-climate origins and stony soils. Horvath and Frischengruber have deliberately honed their winemaking techniques: musts now ferment with more turbidity, and all wines get more time on lees. The 2025s exude svelte energy, while the 2024s show immense precision, delineation, finesse and lasting freshness, despite the warm year. It is indeed rare that wines produced by a cooperative find a place in the top league of a region, but here, they clearly do.
2024 Riesling Brandstatt Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2030 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2024 Riesling Brandstatt Smaragd is from the coolest site in the Wachau, in the Spitzer Graben. The nose offers gorgeous suppleness and gentle creaminess with a luminous citrus sheen. Buffered linearity is evident right away on the palate, with beautiful stone fruit clothed in smooth, fine yeast and tender brightness. This wine has clarity, lovely quiet brilliance and enduring cooling depth. Later on, quince and more citrus appear as an aromatic tease in this wonderful, lasting wine.

Producer Commentary:
Roman Horvath MW and Heinz Frischengruber presented their 2025 Federspiel and their unfiltered 2024 Smaragd wines, the latter now released a year later. They view this switch to a later release as only one stone in a far larger mosaic they have worked on for years. The duo pioneered insecticide- and herbicide-free viticulture in the region, inaugurated a vast composting and green manure program and trialed new forms of canopy management, all of which are now common practice. The fact that rare hoopoes (a salmon-pink bird) are once again nesting and breeding in their vineyards is just one happy result of all these measures. Horvath explained that their cooperative members work across 2,000 individually farmed parcels. The grower-members, who each look after one to three hectares of vineyard, are often engaged in mixed farming, including forestry, fishery and fruit cultivation. This ensures a holistic approach with no reliance on seasonal labor. Frischengruber noted that the harvest team thus consists of 1,000 people across one-third of the Wachau appellation’s surface who are all ambassadors for their way of farming.

Frischengruber said, “Everything about 2025 looked perfect. The summer was not hot, and we always had sufficient rain. What was different in 2025 was that summer evenings and nights were always cool. All these things set us up for a super vintage, but then it rained every two to three days during harvest.” Grüner Veltliner withstood everything without much trouble, but Riesling required much sorting. When the rain arrived, Riesling skins were already soft, and the bunches were susceptible to botrytis. “We had to be flexible and quick,” Frischengruber added. Picking started in mid-September and finished on October 20.

Tasting the wines is proof positive of the benefits of the domaine’s holistic philosophy. In the clean-cut, precise style of the contemporary Wachau, this portfolio showcases its cool-climate origins and stony soils. Horvath and Frischengruber have deliberately honed their winemaking techniques: musts now ferment with more turbidity, and all wines get more time on lees. The 2025s exude svelte energy, while the 2024s show immense precision, delineation, finesse and lasting freshness, despite the warm year. It is indeed rare that wines produced by a cooperative find a place in the top league of a region, but here, they clearly do.
2025 Grüner Veltliner Kreuzberg Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2025 Grüner Veltliner Kreuzberg Federspiel, from the southern bank of the Danube, grows on amphibolite with a touch of loess and brings cooler aspects. Yeasty savoriness appears first on the nose, with a touch of white miso paste. The palate adds the juicy fill of Reine Claude plum and a lovely, cooling flow that is generous and almost soothing, like a cool compress. It has deep umami character, profound freshness, wonderful complexity and such depth. An extraordinary Kreuzberg with layer upon layer of flavor.

Producer Commentary:
Roman Horvath MW and Heinz Frischengruber presented their 2025 Federspiel and their unfiltered 2024 Smaragd wines, the latter now released a year later. They view this switch to a later release as only one stone in a far larger mosaic they have worked on for years. The duo pioneered insecticide- and herbicide-free viticulture in the region, inaugurated a vast composting and green manure program and trialed new forms of canopy management, all of which are now common practice. The fact that rare hoopoes (a salmon-pink bird) are once again nesting and breeding in their vineyards is just one happy result of all these measures. Horvath explained that their cooperative members work across 2,000 individually farmed parcels. The grower-members, who each look after one to three hectares of vineyard, are often engaged in mixed farming, including forestry, fishery and fruit cultivation. This ensures a holistic approach with no reliance on seasonal labor. Frischengruber noted that the harvest team thus consists of 1,000 people across one-third of the Wachau appellation’s surface who are all ambassadors for their way of farming.

Frischengruber said, “Everything about 2025 looked perfect. The summer was not hot, and we always had sufficient rain. What was different in 2025 was that summer evenings and nights were always cool. All these things set us up for a super vintage, but then it rained every two to three days during harvest.” Grüner Veltliner withstood everything without much trouble, but Riesling required much sorting. When the rain arrived, Riesling skins were already soft, and the bunches were susceptible to botrytis. “We had to be flexible and quick,” Frischengruber added. Picking started in mid-September and finished on October 20.

Tasting the wines is proof positive of the benefits of the domaine’s holistic philosophy. In the clean-cut, precise style of the contemporary Wachau, this portfolio showcases its cool-climate origins and stony soils. Horvath and Frischengruber have deliberately honed their winemaking techniques: musts now ferment with more turbidity, and all wines get more time on lees. The 2025s exude svelte energy, while the 2024s show immense precision, delineation, finesse and lasting freshness, despite the warm year. It is indeed rare that wines produced by a cooperative find a place in the top league of a region, but here, they clearly do.
2025 Grüner Veltliner Liebenberg Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2025 Grüner Veltliner Liebenberg Federspiel comes from very old vines, up to 100 years old, on this steep gneiss site. The nose offers hints of yeast. The palate adds precision and stony underpinnings beneath a salty, savory sheen with a touch of zestiness. Straight-laced and precise, it depicts 2025 with laser focus and an inherent, elongating coolness.

Producer Commentary:
Roman Horvath MW and Heinz Frischengruber presented their 2025 Federspiel and their unfiltered 2024 Smaragd wines, the latter now released a year later. They view this switch to a later release as only one stone in a far larger mosaic they have worked on for years. The duo pioneered insecticide- and herbicide-free viticulture in the region, inaugurated a vast composting and green manure program and trialed new forms of canopy management, all of which are now common practice. The fact that rare hoopoes (a salmon-pink bird) are once again nesting and breeding in their vineyards is just one happy result of all these measures. Horvath explained that their cooperative members work across 2,000 individually farmed parcels. The grower-members, who each look after one to three hectares of vineyard, are often engaged in mixed farming, including forestry, fishery and fruit cultivation. This ensures a holistic approach with no reliance on seasonal labor. Frischengruber noted that the harvest team thus consists of 1,000 people across one-third of the Wachau appellation’s surface who are all ambassadors for their way of farming.

Frischengruber said, “Everything about 2025 looked perfect. The summer was not hot, and we always had sufficient rain. What was different in 2025 was that summer evenings and nights were always cool. All these things set us up for a super vintage, but then it rained every two to three days during harvest.” Grüner Veltliner withstood everything without much trouble, but Riesling required much sorting. When the rain arrived, Riesling skins were already soft, and the bunches were susceptible to botrytis. “We had to be flexible and quick,” Frischengruber added. Picking started in mid-September and finished on October 20.

Tasting the wines is proof positive of the benefits of the domaine’s holistic philosophy. In the clean-cut, precise style of the contemporary Wachau, this portfolio showcases its cool-climate origins and stony soils. Horvath and Frischengruber have deliberately honed their winemaking techniques: musts now ferment with more turbidity, and all wines get more time on lees. The 2025s exude svelte energy, while the 2024s show immense precision, delineation, finesse and lasting freshness, despite the warm year. It is indeed rare that wines produced by a cooperative find a place in the top league of a region, but here, they clearly do.
2025 Grüner Veltliner Kollmitz Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2025 Grüner Veltliner Kollmitz Federspiel is grown on loess and opens with a subtle scent of chamomile tisane and the merest edge of blossom honey on the nose. The palate is yeasty and smooth, with a touch of Mirabelle and a savory note that adds brightness and freshness. This is a tender Grüner Veltliner with much subtlety.

Producer Commentary:
Roman Horvath MW and Heinz Frischengruber presented their 2025 Federspiel and their unfiltered 2024 Smaragd wines, the latter now released a year later. They view this switch to a later release as only one stone in a far larger mosaic they have worked on for years. The duo pioneered insecticide- and herbicide-free viticulture in the region, inaugurated a vast composting and green manure program and trialed new forms of canopy management, all of which are now common practice. The fact that rare hoopoes (a salmon-pink bird) are once again nesting and breeding in their vineyards is just one happy result of all these measures. Horvath explained that their cooperative members work across 2,000 individually farmed parcels. The grower-members, who each look after one to three hectares of vineyard, are often engaged in mixed farming, including forestry, fishery and fruit cultivation. This ensures a holistic approach with no reliance on seasonal labor. Frischengruber noted that the harvest team thus consists of 1,000 people across one-third of the Wachau appellation’s surface who are all ambassadors for their way of farming.

Frischengruber said, “Everything about 2025 looked perfect. The summer was not hot, and we always had sufficient rain. What was different in 2025 was that summer evenings and nights were always cool. All these things set us up for a super vintage, but then it rained every two to three days during harvest.” Grüner Veltliner withstood everything without much trouble, but Riesling required much sorting. When the rain arrived, Riesling skins were already soft, and the bunches were susceptible to botrytis. “We had to be flexible and quick,” Frischengruber added. Picking started in mid-September and finished on October 20.

Tasting the wines is proof positive of the benefits of the domaine’s holistic philosophy. In the clean-cut, precise style of the contemporary Wachau, this portfolio showcases its cool-climate origins and stony soils. Horvath and Frischengruber have deliberately honed their winemaking techniques: musts now ferment with more turbidity, and all wines get more time on lees. The 2025s exude svelte energy, while the 2024s show immense precision, delineation, finesse and lasting freshness, despite the warm year. It is indeed rare that wines produced by a cooperative find a place in the top league of a region, but here, they clearly do.
2025 Riesling Loibenberg Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2025 Riesling Loibenberg Federspiel, though from the warmest slope of the Wachau, comes from its highest-lying parcels and is thus fresher than the site name usually suggests. A shy nose offers tender, lime-laced apricot. The rounded yet super-contoured palate delivers even more citrus raciness and fill. Linearity, drive, directness and citric energy set the tone and propel this wine forward with bundled fill. The beautiful length is purest zestiness.

Producer Commentary:
Roman Horvath MW and Heinz Frischengruber presented their 2025 Federspiel and their unfiltered 2024 Smaragd wines, the latter now released a year later. They view this switch to a later release as only one stone in a far larger mosaic they have worked on for years. The duo pioneered insecticide- and herbicide-free viticulture in the region, inaugurated a vast composting and green manure program and trialed new forms of canopy management, all of which are now common practice. The fact that rare hoopoes (a salmon-pink bird) are once again nesting and breeding in their vineyards is just one happy result of all these measures. Horvath explained that their cooperative members work across 2,000 individually farmed parcels. The grower-members, who each look after one to three hectares of vineyard, are often engaged in mixed farming, including forestry, fishery and fruit cultivation. This ensures a holistic approach with no reliance on seasonal labor. Frischengruber noted that the harvest team thus consists of 1,000 people across one-third of the Wachau appellation’s surface who are all ambassadors for their way of farming.

Frischengruber said, “Everything about 2025 looked perfect. The summer was not hot, and we always had sufficient rain. What was different in 2025 was that summer evenings and nights were always cool. All these things set us up for a super vintage, but then it rained every two to three days during harvest.” Grüner Veltliner withstood everything without much trouble, but Riesling required much sorting. When the rain arrived, Riesling skins were already soft, and the bunches were susceptible to botrytis. “We had to be flexible and quick,” Frischengruber added. Picking started in mid-September and finished on October 20.

Tasting the wines is proof positive of the benefits of the domaine’s holistic philosophy. In the clean-cut, precise style of the contemporary Wachau, this portfolio showcases its cool-climate origins and stony soils. Horvath and Frischengruber have deliberately honed their winemaking techniques: musts now ferment with more turbidity, and all wines get more time on lees. The 2025s exude svelte energy, while the 2024s show immense precision, delineation, finesse and lasting freshness, despite the warm year. It is indeed rare that wines produced by a cooperative find a place in the top league of a region, but here, they clearly do.
2025 Riesling Bruck Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2025 Riesling Bruck Federspiel, from the Spitzer Graben, offers supple Reine Claude plum juiciness and pale apricot on the nose, with touches of fern, mint tea and beautifully green citrus notes. The palate is round and smooth yet carries the Spitzer Graben’s undeniable, thrilling raciness. This has a gorgeously lip-smacking finish.

Producer Commentary:
Roman Horvath MW and Heinz Frischengruber presented their 2025 Federspiel and their unfiltered 2024 Smaragd wines, the latter now released a year later. They view this switch to a later release as only one stone in a far larger mosaic they have worked on for years. The duo pioneered insecticide- and herbicide-free viticulture in the region, inaugurated a vast composting and green manure program and trialed new forms of canopy management, all of which are now common practice. The fact that rare hoopoes (a salmon-pink bird) are once again nesting and breeding in their vineyards is just one happy result of all these measures. Horvath explained that their cooperative members work across 2,000 individually farmed parcels. The grower-members, who each look after one to three hectares of vineyard, are often engaged in mixed farming, including forestry, fishery and fruit cultivation. This ensures a holistic approach with no reliance on seasonal labor. Frischengruber noted that the harvest team thus consists of 1,000 people across one-third of the Wachau appellation’s surface who are all ambassadors for their way of farming.

Frischengruber said, “Everything about 2025 looked perfect. The summer was not hot, and we always had sufficient rain. What was different in 2025 was that summer evenings and nights were always cool. All these things set us up for a super vintage, but then it rained every two to three days during harvest.” Grüner Veltliner withstood everything without much trouble, but Riesling required much sorting. When the rain arrived, Riesling skins were already soft, and the bunches were susceptible to botrytis. “We had to be flexible and quick,” Frischengruber added. Picking started in mid-September and finished on October 20.

Tasting the wines is proof positive of the benefits of the domaine’s holistic philosophy. In the clean-cut, precise style of the contemporary Wachau, this portfolio showcases its cool-climate origins and stony soils. Horvath and Frischengruber have deliberately honed their winemaking techniques: musts now ferment with more turbidity, and all wines get more time on lees. The 2025s exude svelte energy, while the 2024s show immense precision, delineation, finesse and lasting freshness, despite the warm year. It is indeed rare that wines produced by a cooperative find a place in the top league of a region, but here, they clearly do.
2025 Riesling Trenning Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2025 Riesling Trenning Federspiel, from this terraced, ventilated site in Trenning in the cool Spitzer Graben, reverberates with zesty green citrus aromas from the off. The palate is a natural continuation, with vivid lime and green tangerine notes. It is super-svelte and laser-like, with wonderfully bracing energy. Simply wonderful.

Producer Commentary:
Roman Horvath MW and Heinz Frischengruber presented their 2025 Federspiel and their unfiltered 2024 Smaragd wines, the latter now released a year later. They view this switch to a later release as only one stone in a far larger mosaic they have worked on for years. The duo pioneered insecticide- and herbicide-free viticulture in the region, inaugurated a vast composting and green manure program and trialed new forms of canopy management, all of which are now common practice. The fact that rare hoopoes (a salmon-pink bird) are once again nesting and breeding in their vineyards is just one happy result of all these measures. Horvath explained that their cooperative members work across 2,000 individually farmed parcels. The grower-members, who each look after one to three hectares of vineyard, are often engaged in mixed farming, including forestry, fishery and fruit cultivation. This ensures a holistic approach with no reliance on seasonal labor. Frischengruber noted that the harvest team thus consists of 1,000 people across one-third of the Wachau appellation’s surface who are all ambassadors for their way of farming.

Frischengruber said, “Everything about 2025 looked perfect. The summer was not hot, and we always had sufficient rain. What was different in 2025 was that summer evenings and nights were always cool. All these things set us up for a super vintage, but then it rained every two to three days during harvest.” Grüner Veltliner withstood everything without much trouble, but Riesling required much sorting. When the rain arrived, Riesling skins were already soft, and the bunches were susceptible to botrytis. “We had to be flexible and quick,” Frischengruber added. Picking started in mid-September and finished on October 20.

Tasting the wines is proof positive of the benefits of the domaine’s holistic philosophy. In the clean-cut, precise style of the contemporary Wachau, this portfolio showcases its cool-climate origins and stony soils. Horvath and Frischengruber have deliberately honed their winemaking techniques: musts now ferment with more turbidity, and all wines get more time on lees. The 2025s exude svelte energy, while the 2024s show immense precision, delineation, finesse and lasting freshness, despite the warm year. It is indeed rare that wines produced by a cooperative find a place in the top league of a region, but here, they clearly do.
2022 Riesling Amphora
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Amphora was fermented for six months on skins and made without any additions of sulfur dioxide. It is medium amber in color. The nose brings slight pepper and a touch of caramel. The palate has real tannic structure, is slightly drying and shimmers with lemony grace. An arresting, supremely gastronomic wine with superb acidity.

Producer Commentary:
“We had everything we didn’t need in 2024,” said Heinz Frischengruber, cellar master at Domäne Wachau. The year began with one of the earliest budbursts ever. April frosts hit Rossatz, Arnsdorf, and especially the Spitzer Graben, as well as Weissenkirchen. The weather stayed dry, with no rain until mid-May and some precipitation during flowering in June. July and August were very hot, with hot nights as well. “In early September,” Frischengruber said, “we overtook 2018 in terms of sugar levels.” Picking started on 4 September, and by the time the big rains arrived on 12 September, a third of the fruit had been harvested. “As soon as we could after the rain, we harvested at full throttle,” Frischengruber added. He noted that Grüner Veltliner withstood the rain better than Riesling, which had also shut down a little during the heat. The rain cooled everything down. Frischengruber emphasised that the cooperative structure of Domäne Wachau is a huge advantage in such years, as members can act quickly and do not need to wait for harvest crews to mobilise. The regional wines and some Federspiele do not have their usual concentration in 2024, but others, like Kreuzberg, shine. Grüner Veltliner seems to have a slight edge over Riesling. The 2024 Smaragde will not be released until later this year or early next.
2022 Pinot Noir Reserve
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2022 Pinot Noir Reserve comes from fruit grown on the Setzberg, from Spitz and the foot of Seiberberg in Weissenkirchen. The fruit is fully destemmed, fermented spontaneously and extracted gently, then was aged in 300-liter barrels for over 20 months. The color is relatively deep for a Pinot Noir. The nose unites dark forest fruit and forest fruit compote with a blackcurrant leafiness. On the palate, the ripeness is toned down, with spice joining forest berry and cherry. Slightly rustic, this wine comes with fine tannins and structure.

Producer Commentary:
“We had everything we didn’t need in 2024,” said Heinz Frischengruber, cellar master at Domäne Wachau. The year began with one of the earliest budbursts ever. April frosts hit Rossatz, Arnsdorf, and especially the Spitzer Graben, as well as Weissenkirchen. The weather stayed dry, with no rain until mid-May and some precipitation during flowering in June. July and August were very hot, with hot nights as well. “In early September,” Frischengruber said, “we overtook 2018 in terms of sugar levels.” Picking started on 4 September, and by the time the big rains arrived on 12 September, a third of the fruit had been harvested. “As soon as we could after the rain, we harvested at full throttle,” Frischengruber added. He noted that Grüner Veltliner withstood the rain better than Riesling, which had also shut down a little during the heat. The rain cooled everything down. Frischengruber emphasised that the cooperative structure of Domäne Wachau is a huge advantage in such years, as members can act quickly and do not need to wait for harvest crews to mobilise. The regional wines and some Federspiele do not have their usual concentration in 2024, but others, like Kreuzberg, shine. Grüner Veltliner seems to have a slight edge over Riesling. The 2024 Smaragde will not be released until later this year or early next.
2022 Chardonnay
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2022 Chardonnay is made from fruit grown in Weissenkirchen that shows traces of lime. The grapes undergo some skin contact before pressing and are fermented spontaneously, relatively cloudy, in 300-liter barrels. The wine was aged on lees for 20 months. Nuttiness on the nose is tinged with slight smoke and the spice of wet walnut skins. The palate is tight and taut, with bright lemon freshness and a slightly drying pithiness. Not all of the barrels went through malolactic fermentation, which explains the vivaciousness.

Producer Commentary:
“We had everything we didn’t need in 2024,” said Heinz Frischengruber, cellar master at Domäne Wachau. The year began with one of the earliest budbursts ever. April frosts hit Rossatz, Arnsdorf, and especially the Spitzer Graben, as well as Weissenkirchen. The weather stayed dry, with no rain until mid-May and some precipitation during flowering in June. July and August were very hot, with hot nights as well. “In early September,” Frischengruber said, “we overtook 2018 in terms of sugar levels.” Picking started on 4 September, and by the time the big rains arrived on 12 September, a third of the fruit had been harvested. “As soon as we could after the rain, we harvested at full throttle,” Frischengruber added. He noted that Grüner Veltliner withstood the rain better than Riesling, which had also shut down a little during the heat. The rain cooled everything down. Frischengruber emphasised that the cooperative structure of Domäne Wachau is a huge advantage in such years, as members can act quickly and do not need to wait for harvest crews to mobilise. The regional wines and some Federspiele do not have their usual concentration in 2024, but others, like Kreuzberg, shine. Grüner Veltliner seems to have a slight edge over Riesling. The 2024 Smaragde will not be released until later this year or early next.
2023 Grüner Veltliner Steinwerk
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2043

Tasting notes: The 2023 Grüner Veltliner Steinwerk is picked in the higher reaches of the single sites in Weissenkirchen and Spitz. The wine received some skin contact and was fermented in vessels of granite and marble, including some whole berries, with a quarter of the wine fermented on skins for two weeks. Golden in color, it is a picture of apricot compote and white pepper on the incredibly enticing nose. The slender palate emphasizes exquisite pepperiness and continues with concentration, vivacity and linear flow. An exceptional, unusual but delicious Grüner Veltliner with much verve and a captivating personality.

Producer Commentary:
“We had everything we didn’t need in 2024,” said Heinz Frischengruber, cellar master at Domäne Wachau. The year began with one of the earliest budbursts ever. April frosts hit Rossatz, Arnsdorf, and especially the Spitzer Graben, as well as Weissenkirchen. The weather stayed dry, with no rain until mid-May and some precipitation during flowering in June. July and August were very hot, with hot nights as well. “In early September,” Frischengruber said, “we overtook 2018 in terms of sugar levels.” Picking started on 4 September, and by the time the big rains arrived on 12 September, a third of the fruit had been harvested. “As soon as we could after the rain, we harvested at full throttle,” Frischengruber added. He noted that Grüner Veltliner withstood the rain better than Riesling, which had also shut down a little during the heat. The rain cooled everything down. Frischengruber emphasised that the cooperative structure of Domäne Wachau is a huge advantage in such years, as members can act quickly and do not need to wait for harvest crews to mobilise. The regional wines and some Federspiele do not have their usual concentration in 2024, but others, like Kreuzberg, shine. Grüner Veltliner seems to have a slight edge over Riesling. The 2024 Smaragde will not be released until later this year or early next.
2024 Riesling Trenning Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2024 Riesling Trenning Federspiel comes from a terraced site in the lateral valley of the Spitzer Graben. Exquisite bergamot peel and crushed citrus foliage veer into tangerine and orange before returning again. The palate is lithe, linear and bright, with slenderness and a bone-dry finish.

Producer Commentary:
“We had everything we didn’t need in 2024,” said Heinz Frischengruber, cellar master at Domäne Wachau. The year began with one of the earliest budbursts ever. April frosts hit Rossatz, Arnsdorf, and especially the Spitzer Graben, as well as Weissenkirchen. The weather stayed dry, with no rain until mid-May and some precipitation during flowering in June. July and August were very hot, with hot nights as well. “In early September,” Frischengruber said, “we overtook 2018 in terms of sugar levels.” Picking started on 4 September, and by the time the big rains arrived on 12 September, a third of the fruit had been harvested. “As soon as we could after the rain, we harvested at full throttle,” Frischengruber added. He noted that Grüner Veltliner withstood the rain better than Riesling, which had also shut down a little during the heat. The rain cooled everything down. Frischengruber emphasised that the cooperative structure of Domäne Wachau is a huge advantage in such years, as members can act quickly and do not need to wait for harvest crews to mobilise. The regional wines and some Federspiele do not have their usual concentration in 2024, but others, like Kreuzberg, shine. Grüner Veltliner seems to have a slight edge over Riesling. The 2024 Smaragde will not be released until later this year or early next.
2024 Riesling Terrassen Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2029

Tasting notes: The 2024 Riesling Terrassen Federspiel is as beguilingly aromatic as ever, this year with a touch of yeastiness within the tangerine and lemon nose. The palate also shows this yeasty character, but remains fresh and bright and comes with a zesty, dry finish.

Producer Commentary:
“We had everything we didn’t need in 2024,” said Heinz Frischengruber, cellar master at Domäne Wachau. The year began with one of the earliest budbursts ever. April frosts hit Rossatz, Arnsdorf, and especially the Spitzer Graben, as well as Weissenkirchen. The weather stayed dry, with no rain until mid-May and some precipitation during flowering in June. July and August were very hot, with hot nights as well. “In early September,” Frischengruber said, “we overtook 2018 in terms of sugar levels.” Picking started on 4 September, and by the time the big rains arrived on 12 September, a third of the fruit had been harvested. “As soon as we could after the rain, we harvested at full throttle,” Frischengruber added. He noted that Grüner Veltliner withstood the rain better than Riesling, which had also shut down a little during the heat. The rain cooled everything down. Frischengruber emphasised that the cooperative structure of Domäne Wachau is a huge advantage in such years, as members can act quickly and do not need to wait for harvest crews to mobilise. The regional wines and some Federspiele do not have their usual concentration in 2024, but others, like Kreuzberg, shine. Grüner Veltliner seems to have a slight edge over Riesling. The 2024 Smaragde will not be released until later this year or early next.
2024 Riesling Loibenberg Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2043

Tasting notes: The 2024 Riesling Loibenberg Smaragd comes from western parcels of this site, exposed to airstreams of the Mentalgraben. Lemon and lime peel, moss and wet stone combine on the nose. The palate is lithe, elongated and superbly fresh, spraying with citrus and homing in on a subtle pithiness with a superbly dry finish.

Producer Commentary:
“We had everything we didn’t need in 2024,” said Heinz Frischengruber, cellar master at Domäne Wachau. The year began with one of the earliest budbursts ever. April frosts hit Rossatz, Arnsdorf, and especially the Spitzer Graben, as well as Weissenkirchen. The weather stayed dry, with no rain until mid-May and some precipitation during flowering in June. July and August were very hot, with hot nights as well. “In early September,” Frischengruber said, “we overtook 2018 in terms of sugar levels.” Picking started on 4 September, and by the time the big rains arrived on 12 September, a third of the fruit had been harvested. “As soon as we could after the rain, we harvested at full throttle,” Frischengruber added. He noted that Grüner Veltliner withstood the rain better than Riesling, which had also shut down a little during the heat. The rain cooled everything down. Frischengruber emphasised that the cooperative structure of Domäne Wachau is a huge advantage in such years, as members can act quickly and do not need to wait for harvest crews to mobilise. The regional wines and some Federspiele do not have their usual concentration in 2024, but others, like Kreuzberg, shine. Grüner Veltliner seems to have a slight edge over Riesling. The 2024 Smaragde will not be released until later this year or early next.
2024 Riesling Loibenberg Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2024 Riesling Loibenberg Federspiel, from the highest parts of this site up to 400 meters, opens with tender notes of juicy Reine Claude plum trailing lemon aromas. The palate is linear, lithe, citrussy and zesty, much leaner and brighter than the warm year would suggest. It comes to a slightly juicy yet zesty finish.

Producer Commentary:
“We had everything we didn’t need in 2024,” said Heinz Frischengruber, cellar master at Domäne Wachau. The year began with one of the earliest budbursts ever. April frosts hit Rossatz, Arnsdorf, and especially the Spitzer Graben, as well as Weissenkirchen. The weather stayed dry, with no rain until mid-May and some precipitation during flowering in June. July and August were very hot, with hot nights as well. “In early September,” Frischengruber said, “we overtook 2018 in terms of sugar levels.” Picking started on 4 September, and by the time the big rains arrived on 12 September, a third of the fruit had been harvested. “As soon as we could after the rain, we harvested at full throttle,” Frischengruber added. He noted that Grüner Veltliner withstood the rain better than Riesling, which had also shut down a little during the heat. The rain cooled everything down. Frischengruber emphasised that the cooperative structure of Domäne Wachau is a huge advantage in such years, as members can act quickly and do not need to wait for harvest crews to mobilise. The regional wines and some Federspiele do not have their usual concentration in 2024, but others, like Kreuzberg, shine. Grüner Veltliner seems to have a slight edge over Riesling. The 2024 Smaragde will not be released until later this year or early next.
2024 Riesling Bruck Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2024 Riesling Bruck Federspiel from the Spitzer Graben unites pale apricot, aromatic citrus leaf and a touch of woodruff on a superbly enticing nose. The light palate is defined by tender juiciness, remaining linear and finishing with pure, bright lemon.

Producer Commentary:
“We had everything we didn’t need in 2024,” said Heinz Frischengruber, cellar master at Domäne Wachau. The year began with one of the earliest budbursts ever. April frosts hit Rossatz, Arnsdorf, and especially the Spitzer Graben, as well as Weissenkirchen. The weather stayed dry, with no rain until mid-May and some precipitation during flowering in June. July and August were very hot, with hot nights as well. “In early September,” Frischengruber said, “we overtook 2018 in terms of sugar levels.” Picking started on 4 September, and by the time the big rains arrived on 12 September, a third of the fruit had been harvested. “As soon as we could after the rain, we harvested at full throttle,” Frischengruber added. He noted that Grüner Veltliner withstood the rain better than Riesling, which had also shut down a little during the heat. The rain cooled everything down. Frischengruber emphasised that the cooperative structure of Domäne Wachau is a huge advantage in such years, as members can act quickly and do not need to wait for harvest crews to mobilise. The regional wines and some Federspiele do not have their usual concentration in 2024, but others, like Kreuzberg, shine. Grüner Veltliner seems to have a slight edge over Riesling. The 2024 Smaragde will not be released until later this year or early next.
2024 Riesling 1000 Eimer Berg Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2024 Riesling 1000-Eimer-Berg Federspiel presents a flinty cloud of reduction. Beneath this, a very light, bright and tender wine emerges, showing a light body and citric finesse with the merest touch of creaminess. The finish is absolutely clean cut.

Producer Commentary:
“We had everything we didn’t need in 2024,” said Heinz Frischengruber, cellar master at Domäne Wachau. The year began with one of the earliest budbursts ever. April frosts hit Rossatz, Arnsdorf, and especially the Spitzer Graben, as well as Weissenkirchen. The weather stayed dry, with no rain until mid-May and some precipitation during flowering in June. July and August were very hot, with hot nights as well. “In early September,” Frischengruber said, “we overtook 2018 in terms of sugar levels.” Picking started on 4 September, and by the time the big rains arrived on 12 September, a third of the fruit had been harvested. “As soon as we could after the rain, we harvested at full throttle,” Frischengruber added. He noted that Grüner Veltliner withstood the rain better than Riesling, which had also shut down a little during the heat. The rain cooled everything down. Frischengruber emphasised that the cooperative structure of Domäne Wachau is a huge advantage in such years, as members can act quickly and do not need to wait for harvest crews to mobilise. The regional wines and some Federspiele do not have their usual concentration in 2024, but others, like Kreuzberg, shine. Grüner Veltliner seems to have a slight edge over Riesling. The 2024 Smaragde will not be released until later this year or early next.
2024 Grüner Veltliner Terrassen Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2029

Tasting notes: The 2024 Grüner Veltliner Terrassen Federspiel was made in stainless steel from terraced sites across the Wachau. Crushed fern, green moss, zesty lemon and grapefruit define the fresh, aromatic nose. Yeasty umami savor comes through on the palate, which stands straight with freshness and is full of savor. The finish is dry and zesty.

Producer Commentary:
“We had everything we didn’t need in 2024,” said Heinz Frischengruber, cellar master at Domäne Wachau. The year began with one of the earliest budbursts ever. April frosts hit Rossatz, Arnsdorf, and especially the Spitzer Graben, as well as Weissenkirchen. The weather stayed dry, with no rain until mid-May and some precipitation during flowering in June. July and August were very hot, with hot nights as well. “In early September,” Frischengruber said, “we overtook 2018 in terms of sugar levels.” Picking started on 4 September, and by the time the big rains arrived on 12 September, a third of the fruit had been harvested. “As soon as we could after the rain, we harvested at full throttle,” Frischengruber added. He noted that Grüner Veltliner withstood the rain better than Riesling, which had also shut down a little during the heat. The rain cooled everything down. Frischengruber emphasised that the cooperative structure of Domäne Wachau is a huge advantage in such years, as members can act quickly and do not need to wait for harvest crews to mobilise. The regional wines and some Federspiele do not have their usual concentration in 2024, but others, like Kreuzberg, shine. Grüner Veltliner seems to have a slight edge over Riesling. The 2024 Smaragde will not be released until later this year or early next.
2024 Grüner Veltliner Pichlpoint Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2029

Tasting notes: The 2024 Grüner Veltliner Pichlpoint Federspiel comes from a loess-dominated site and was made in stainless steel. Ripe green and yellow pear scents dominate the nose. The palate offers fine, yeasty, peppery herbal savor and is surprisingly light, perhaps lacking a bit of concentration despite these distinct flavors.

Producer Commentary:
“We had everything we didn’t need in 2024,” said Heinz Frischengruber, cellar master at Domäne Wachau. The year began with one of the earliest budbursts ever. April frosts hit Rossatz, Arnsdorf, and especially the Spitzer Graben, as well as Weissenkirchen. The weather stayed dry, with no rain until mid-May and some precipitation during flowering in June. July and August were very hot, with hot nights as well. “In early September,” Frischengruber said, “we overtook 2018 in terms of sugar levels.” Picking started on 4 September, and by the time the big rains arrived on 12 September, a third of the fruit had been harvested. “As soon as we could after the rain, we harvested at full throttle,” Frischengruber added. He noted that Grüner Veltliner withstood the rain better than Riesling, which had also shut down a little during the heat. The rain cooled everything down. Frischengruber emphasised that the cooperative structure of Domäne Wachau is a huge advantage in such years, as members can act quickly and do not need to wait for harvest crews to mobilise. The regional wines and some Federspiele do not have their usual concentration in 2024, but others, like Kreuzberg, shine. Grüner Veltliner seems to have a slight edge over Riesling. The 2024 Smaragde will not be released until later this year or early next.
2024 Grüner Veltliner Liebenberg Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2024 Grüner Veltliner Liebenberg Federspiel is made from old vines up to 100 years old, rooted in gneiss, and was made in stainless steel with a smaller portion in large neutral barrel. Fresh chervil and green moss immediately signal freshness on the nose. The palate is zesty and unites these aromatic overtones with lovely citrus concentration and a long lemony finish with a beautiful touch of pith.

Producer Commentary:
“We had everything we didn’t need in 2024,” said Heinz Frischengruber, cellar master at Domäne Wachau. The year began with one of the earliest budbursts ever. April frosts hit Rossatz, Arnsdorf, and especially the Spitzer Graben, as well as Weissenkirchen. The weather stayed dry, with no rain until mid-May and some precipitation during flowering in June. July and August were very hot, with hot nights as well. “In early September,” Frischengruber said, “we overtook 2018 in terms of sugar levels.” Picking started on 4 September, and by the time the big rains arrived on 12 September, a third of the fruit had been harvested. “As soon as we could after the rain, we harvested at full throttle,” Frischengruber added. He noted that Grüner Veltliner withstood the rain better than Riesling, which had also shut down a little during the heat. The rain cooled everything down. Frischengruber emphasised that the cooperative structure of Domäne Wachau is a huge advantage in such years, as members can act quickly and do not need to wait for harvest crews to mobilise. The regional wines and some Federspiele do not have their usual concentration in 2024, but others, like Kreuzberg, shine. Grüner Veltliner seems to have a slight edge over Riesling. The 2024 Smaragde will not be released until later this year or early next.
2024 Grüner Veltliner Kreuzberg Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2024 Grüner Veltliner Kreuzberg Federspiel comes from some north-facing aspects at altitude, close to the cooling Dunkelsteiner forest. This wine contains a portion of skin-fermented grapes, which adds texture. Fern, lichen and citrus lend a gorgeous woodland savor to the nose. The palate offers a lovely sense of pithiness that marries with zesty concentration and the yeast of the mid-palate. Lasting, cooling freshness sets this apart.

Producer Commentary:
“We had everything we didn’t need in 2024,” said Heinz Frischengruber, cellar master at Domäne Wachau. The year began with one of the earliest budbursts ever. April frosts hit Rossatz, Arnsdorf, and especially the Spitzer Graben, as well as Weissenkirchen. The weather stayed dry, with no rain until mid-May and some precipitation during flowering in June. July and August were very hot, with hot nights as well. “In early September,” Frischengruber said, “we overtook 2018 in terms of sugar levels.” Picking started on 4 September, and by the time the big rains arrived on 12 September, a third of the fruit had been harvested. “As soon as we could after the rain, we harvested at full throttle,” Frischengruber added. He noted that Grüner Veltliner withstood the rain better than Riesling, which had also shut down a little during the heat. The rain cooled everything down. Frischengruber emphasised that the cooperative structure of Domäne Wachau is a huge advantage in such years, as members can act quickly and do not need to wait for harvest crews to mobilise. The regional wines and some Federspiele do not have their usual concentration in 2024, but others, like Kreuzberg, shine. Grüner Veltliner seems to have a slight edge over Riesling. The 2024 Smaragde will not be released until later this year or early next.
2024 Grüner Veltliner Kollmitz Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2032

Tasting notes: The 2024 Grüner Veltliner Kollmitz Federspiel comes from a site where the loess cover becomes gradually thinner and was made in stainless steel. White miso, yeast and crushed sage create a savory nose. The palate is breezy and bright, with zesty lemon complementing the savory character on a zippy, lively frame that still carries yeast.

Producer Commentary:
“We had everything we didn’t need in 2024,” said Heinz Frischengruber, cellar master at Domäne Wachau. The year began with one of the earliest budbursts ever. April frosts hit Rossatz, Arnsdorf, and especially the Spitzer Graben, as well as Weissenkirchen. The weather stayed dry, with no rain until mid-May and some precipitation during flowering in June. July and August were very hot, with hot nights as well. “In early September,” Frischengruber said, “we overtook 2018 in terms of sugar levels.” Picking started on 4 September, and by the time the big rains arrived on 12 September, a third of the fruit had been harvested. “As soon as we could after the rain, we harvested at full throttle,” Frischengruber added. He noted that Grüner Veltliner withstood the rain better than Riesling, which had also shut down a little during the heat. The rain cooled everything down. Frischengruber emphasised that the cooperative structure of Domäne Wachau is a huge advantage in such years, as members can act quickly and do not need to wait for harvest crews to mobilise. The regional wines and some Federspiele do not have their usual concentration in 2024, but others, like Kreuzberg, shine. Grüner Veltliner seems to have a slight edge over Riesling. The 2024 Smaragde will not be released until later this year or early next.
2024 Grüner Veltliner Kirnberg Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2043

Tasting notes: The 2024 Grüner Veltliner Kirnberg Smaragd, from a gneiss plateau on the southern bank of the Danube, shimmers with glimpses of white pepper and white miso. That gorgeous pepperiness carries through on the palate, which is beautifully light, bright, vivid and totally linear, with a lemony finish.

Producer Commentary:
“We had everything we didn’t need in 2024,” said Heinz Frischengruber, cellar master at Domäne Wachau. The year began with one of the earliest budbursts ever. April frosts hit Rossatz, Arnsdorf, and especially the Spitzer Graben, as well as Weissenkirchen. The weather stayed dry, with no rain until mid-May and some precipitation during flowering in June. July and August were very hot, with hot nights as well. “In early September,” Frischengruber said, “we overtook 2018 in terms of sugar levels.” Picking started on 4 September, and by the time the big rains arrived on 12 September, a third of the fruit had been harvested. “As soon as we could after the rain, we harvested at full throttle,” Frischengruber added. He noted that Grüner Veltliner withstood the rain better than Riesling, which had also shut down a little during the heat. The rain cooled everything down. Frischengruber emphasised that the cooperative structure of Domäne Wachau is a huge advantage in such years, as members can act quickly and do not need to wait for harvest crews to mobilise. The regional wines and some Federspiele do not have their usual concentration in 2024, but others, like Kreuzberg, shine. Grüner Veltliner seems to have a slight edge over Riesling. The 2024 Smaragde will not be released until later this year or early next.
2023 Grüner Veltliner Kollmitz Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2034

Tasting notes: The 2023 Grüner Veltliner Kollmitz Federspiel is from a loess-dominated site but rises to a steeper slope where the loess cover becomes gradually thinner. Initial, earthy, yeasty vibes lead to golden pear fringed with ivy and lovely edges of spice. The palate is juicy and rounded. It brings back that yellow pear and lets it flow, almost unimpeded by the spice on the nose, just adding fine zestiness towards the finish. Rounded but fresh. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
In terms of climate change, 2023 was a record year, says Roman Horvath MW, but notes that in comparison to 20 years ago in 2003, the first really and first unprecedently hot vintage of this century, growers are now much better equipped to deal with the situation. Work has gone into building water retention in the soil with “healthier, more distributed root systems,” and both soil and canopy management are “many steps ahead of where we were then,” he notes. The hail damage that hit others could be mitigated by the broad site portfolio, resulting in a yield reduction of 10-15%, and so could the heat, especially with sites in the cooler Spitzer Graben. Cellar master Heinz Frischengruber adds that skin contact times for both Riesling and Grüner Veltliner were increased. In his opinion, while this sacrifices a little acidity, it allows for more Rückgrat, or backbone. The ripeness of 2023 is more apparent in the entry-level wines because the Smaragds show exquisite freshness in the context of the year. The clear-cut house style is also an advantage in this respect.
2023 Grüner Veltliner Liebenberg Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2034

Tasting notes: The 2023 Grüner Veltliner Liebenberg Federspiel grows in a mix of paragneiss and amphibolite and is from vines between 60 and 100 years old. It is fermented in stainless steel and a large neutral barrel. The merest touch of white miso and pepper appears on the shy nose. Immediate, smooth and rounded ripeness defines the body, whereas yeasty juiciness suggests both stone fruit and pear, ripe but still crunchy. Concentration on the palate brings out zestiness rather than yeast and continues in a sinuous, smooth, balanced flow towards the fresh finish that captures ripeness as much as brightness. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
In terms of climate change, 2023 was a record year, says Roman Horvath MW, but notes that in comparison to 20 years ago in 2003, the first really and first unprecedently hot vintage of this century, growers are now much better equipped to deal with the situation. Work has gone into building water retention in the soil with “healthier, more distributed root systems,” and both soil and canopy management are “many steps ahead of where we were then,” he notes. The hail damage that hit others could be mitigated by the broad site portfolio, resulting in a yield reduction of 10-15%, and so could the heat, especially with sites in the cooler Spitzer Graben. Cellar master Heinz Frischengruber adds that skin contact times for both Riesling and Grüner Veltliner were increased. In his opinion, while this sacrifices a little acidity, it allows for more Rückgrat, or backbone. The ripeness of 2023 is more apparent in the entry-level wines because the Smaragds show exquisite freshness in the context of the year. The clear-cut house style is also an advantage in this respect.
2023 Riesling Loibenberg Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2053

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Loibenberg Smaragd was picked in cooler, western parcels of this warm site, benefitting from the airflow of the Mentalgraben. The nose has Luscious Reine Claude juiciness framed by zesty citrus. The palate also has this interplay of generous ripeness and citric tautness, adding a gorgeous contrast, even drama. It is lovely, precise, stony and so very long. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
In terms of climate change, 2023 was a record year, says Roman Horvath MW, but notes that in comparison to 20 years ago in 2003, the first really and first unprecedently hot vintage of this century, growers are now much better equipped to deal with the situation. Work has gone into building water retention in the soil with “healthier, more distributed root systems,” and both soil and canopy management are “many steps ahead of where we were then,” he notes. The hail damage that hit others could be mitigated by the broad site portfolio, resulting in a yield reduction of 10-15%, and so could the heat, especially with sites in the cooler Spitzer Graben. Cellar master Heinz Frischengruber adds that skin contact times for both Riesling and Grüner Veltliner were increased. In his opinion, while this sacrifices a little acidity, it allows for more Rückgrat, or backbone. The ripeness of 2023 is more apparent in the entry-level wines because the Smaragds show exquisite freshness in the context of the year. The clear-cut house style is also an advantage in this respect.
2023 Riesling Kellerberg Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2055

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Kellerberg Smaragd still has a cloud of reduction that dissolves to shine with herb-inflected, creamier notions of Mirabelle and apricot. There is a gentle smoothness, a juicy softness, that shows full ripeness but beautiful purity and serenity of fruit. Zesty clementine and tangerine shine and glisten on the long, smooth finish. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
In terms of climate change, 2023 was a record year, says Roman Horvath MW, but notes that in comparison to 20 years ago in 2003, the first really and first unprecedently hot vintage of this century, growers are now much better equipped to deal with the situation. Work has gone into building water retention in the soil with “healthier, more distributed root systems,” and both soil and canopy management are “many steps ahead of where we were then,” he notes. The hail damage that hit others could be mitigated by the broad site portfolio, resulting in a yield reduction of 10-15%, and so could the heat, especially with sites in the cooler Spitzer Graben. Cellar master Heinz Frischengruber adds that skin contact times for both Riesling and Grüner Veltliner were increased. In his opinion, while this sacrifices a little acidity, it allows for more Rückgrat, or backbone. The ripeness of 2023 is more apparent in the entry-level wines because the Smaragds show exquisite freshness in the context of the year. The clear-cut house style is also an advantage in this respect.
2023 Riesling Singerriedel Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2055

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Singerriedel Smaragd was harvested in higher parcels and those more receded from the river. The nose manages to unite the ripest yellow plum with navel orange and an overtone of mango. The palate unites in one fell citrus sweep, plunging into the deepest fruit and zestiness, reveling in citrus concentration and absolute stony focus. This is so precise, clean-cut, vivid and dynamic. What an experience. The 2023 is gorgeous and a paradigm. Wow. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
In terms of climate change, 2023 was a record year, says Roman Horvath MW, but notes that in comparison to 20 years ago in 2003, the first really and first unprecedently hot vintage of this century, growers are now much better equipped to deal with the situation. Work has gone into building water retention in the soil with “healthier, more distributed root systems,” and both soil and canopy management are “many steps ahead of where we were then,” he notes. The hail damage that hit others could be mitigated by the broad site portfolio, resulting in a yield reduction of 10-15%, and so could the heat, especially with sites in the cooler Spitzer Graben. Cellar master Heinz Frischengruber adds that skin contact times for both Riesling and Grüner Veltliner were increased. In his opinion, while this sacrifices a little acidity, it allows for more Rückgrat, or backbone. The ripeness of 2023 is more apparent in the entry-level wines because the Smaragds show exquisite freshness in the context of the year. The clear-cut house style is also an advantage in this respect.
2023 Riesling Brandstatt Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2053

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Brandstatt Smaragd is the site furthest along the Spitzer Graben; there are no further vineyards behind it. This received 12 hours of skin contact and was fermented in stainless steel. Incredible citrus aromatics turn somersaults on the nose, astonishingly so for a barrel sample. Tangerine, with its juicy, aromatic ripeness, is chief among them. The palate has a beguiling tautness and slenderness. Its zesty lemon drive is almost breezy. It's a joy to experience the coolness, the direction and the momentum. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
In terms of climate change, 2023 was a record year, says Roman Horvath MW, but notes that in comparison to 20 years ago in 2003, the first really and first unprecedently hot vintage of this century, growers are now much better equipped to deal with the situation. Work has gone into building water retention in the soil with “healthier, more distributed root systems,” and both soil and canopy management are “many steps ahead of where we were then,” he notes. The hail damage that hit others could be mitigated by the broad site portfolio, resulting in a yield reduction of 10-15%, and so could the heat, especially with sites in the cooler Spitzer Graben. Cellar master Heinz Frischengruber adds that skin contact times for both Riesling and Grüner Veltliner were increased. In his opinion, while this sacrifices a little acidity, it allows for more Rückgrat, or backbone. The ripeness of 2023 is more apparent in the entry-level wines because the Smaragds show exquisite freshness in the context of the year. The clear-cut house style is also an advantage in this respect.
2023 Grüner Veltliner Kellerberg Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2053

Tasting notes: The 2023 Grüner Veltliner Kellerberg Smaragd shows fragrant moss alongside its yeasty vibe. The palate is alive with peppery verve, gliding along with yeasty, rounded fluidity yet channeling freshness. This is concentrated with controlled power, quietly impressive. It should be very long-lived. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
In terms of climate change, 2023 was a record year, says Roman Horvath MW, but notes that in comparison to 20 years ago in 2003, the first really and first unprecedently hot vintage of this century, growers are now much better equipped to deal with the situation. Work has gone into building water retention in the soil with “healthier, more distributed root systems,” and both soil and canopy management are “many steps ahead of where we were then,” he notes. The hail damage that hit others could be mitigated by the broad site portfolio, resulting in a yield reduction of 10-15%, and so could the heat, especially with sites in the cooler Spitzer Graben. Cellar master Heinz Frischengruber adds that skin contact times for both Riesling and Grüner Veltliner were increased. In his opinion, while this sacrifices a little acidity, it allows for more Rückgrat, or backbone. The ripeness of 2023 is more apparent in the entry-level wines because the Smaragds show exquisite freshness in the context of the year. The clear-cut house style is also an advantage in this respect.
2023 Grüner Veltliner Axpoint Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2053

Tasting notes: The 2023 Grüner Veltliner Axpoint Smaragd is at the foot of the Singerriedel, with a little more topsoil of loess and loam on top of gneiss. The nose is all pepper and yeast, with an extra dimension of juicy yet very fresh pear flesh. The palate also vibrates with pepper, pear and citrus elements and tapers to an exquisitely taut and bright finish. This is a lovely Grüner with tons of tension, even in this warm year. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
In terms of climate change, 2023 was a record year, says Roman Horvath MW, but notes that in comparison to 20 years ago in 2003, the first really and first unprecedently hot vintage of this century, growers are now much better equipped to deal with the situation. Work has gone into building water retention in the soil with “healthier, more distributed root systems,” and both soil and canopy management are “many steps ahead of where we were then,” he notes. The hail damage that hit others could be mitigated by the broad site portfolio, resulting in a yield reduction of 10-15%, and so could the heat, especially with sites in the cooler Spitzer Graben. Cellar master Heinz Frischengruber adds that skin contact times for both Riesling and Grüner Veltliner were increased. In his opinion, while this sacrifices a little acidity, it allows for more Rückgrat, or backbone. The ripeness of 2023 is more apparent in the entry-level wines because the Smaragds show exquisite freshness in the context of the year. The clear-cut house style is also an advantage in this respect.
2023 Riesling Terrassen Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2034

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Terrassen Federspiel shines with youthful, supremely aromatic citrus charm - think red grapefruit and tangerine in all their juicy ripeness and zestiness. The palate continues in just that vein: juiciness, zestiness and intense ripeness, all flowing forward with fluidity, charm and much raciness despite the ripe fruit aspect. The zestiness shines long after. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
In terms of climate change, 2023 was a record year, says Roman Horvath MW, but notes that in comparison to 20 years ago in 2003, the first really and first unprecedently hot vintage of this century, growers are now much better equipped to deal with the situation. Work has gone into building water retention in the soil with “healthier, more distributed root systems,” and both soil and canopy management are “many steps ahead of where we were then,” he notes. The hail damage that hit others could be mitigated by the broad site portfolio, resulting in a yield reduction of 10-15%, and so could the heat, especially with sites in the cooler Spitzer Graben. Cellar master Heinz Frischengruber adds that skin contact times for both Riesling and Grüner Veltliner were increased. In his opinion, while this sacrifices a little acidity, it allows for more Rückgrat, or backbone. The ripeness of 2023 is more apparent in the entry-level wines because the Smaragds show exquisite freshness in the context of the year. The clear-cut house style is also an advantage in this respect.
2023 Grüner Veltliner Terrassen Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2023 Grüner Veltliner Terrassen Federspiel is from terraced sites only across the Wachau and made in stainless steel with a small proportion of skin-fermented grapes. Subtle herbal savor recalls fresh hay and some dried yarrow, edged with dried lemon. Roundness and juiciness define the smooth palate, which also brings this herbal vibe alongside yellow and green pear, with textural elements of russet pear peel. It is fresh, fluid, and savory. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
In terms of climate change, 2023 was a record year, says Roman Horvath MW, but notes that in comparison to 20 years ago in 2003, the first really and first unprecedently hot vintage of this century, growers are now much better equipped to deal with the situation. Work has gone into building water retention in the soil with “healthier, more distributed root systems,” and both soil and canopy management are “many steps ahead of where we were then,” he notes. The hail damage that hit others could be mitigated by the broad site portfolio, resulting in a yield reduction of 10-15%, and so could the heat, especially with sites in the cooler Spitzer Graben. Cellar master Heinz Frischengruber adds that skin contact times for both Riesling and Grüner Veltliner were increased. In his opinion, while this sacrifices a little acidity, it allows for more Rückgrat, or backbone. The ripeness of 2023 is more apparent in the entry-level wines because the Smaragds show exquisite freshness in the context of the year. The clear-cut house style is also an advantage in this respect.
2023 Grüner Veltliner Gneiss + Löss Steinfeder
Color: White

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2023 Grüner Veltliner Gneiss + Löss Steinfeder is picked across the Wachau on terraced vineyards but predominantly flatter sites, resulting from the earliest harvest in mid-September. The 2023 was fermented in stainless steel. A yeasty vibe still prevails on the nose and snakes right through the slender wine with its appetizing, slight texture and inherent saltiness. The lemon zest and pear fruit are pure and fresh. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
In terms of climate change, 2023 was a record year, says Roman Horvath MW, but notes that in comparison to 20 years ago in 2003, the first really and first unprecedently hot vintage of this century, growers are now much better equipped to deal with the situation. Work has gone into building water retention in the soil with “healthier, more distributed root systems,” and both soil and canopy management are “many steps ahead of where we were then,” he notes. The hail damage that hit others could be mitigated by the broad site portfolio, resulting in a yield reduction of 10-15%, and so could the heat, especially with sites in the cooler Spitzer Graben. Cellar master Heinz Frischengruber adds that skin contact times for both Riesling and Grüner Veltliner were increased. In his opinion, while this sacrifices a little acidity, it allows for more Rückgrat, or backbone. The ripeness of 2023 is more apparent in the entry-level wines because the Smaragds show exquisite freshness in the context of the year. The clear-cut house style is also an advantage in this respect.
2023 Riesling Achleiten Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 97.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2055

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Achleiten Smaragd at this point is tender, showing a gently creamy apricot, followed by tangerine and pink grapefruit zest. The palate is compact, profound, absolutely zesty and stony, alive with citrus that seemingly pervades hard rock. The 2023 is a taut and slender monument of this site. It is clear, precise and stony with gorgeous but slight phenolics and great elegance. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
In terms of climate change, 2023 was a record year, says Roman Horvath MW, but notes that in comparison to 20 years ago in 2003, the first really and first unprecedently hot vintage of this century, growers are now much better equipped to deal with the situation. Work has gone into building water retention in the soil with “healthier, more distributed root systems,” and both soil and canopy management are “many steps ahead of where we were then,” he notes. The hail damage that hit others could be mitigated by the broad site portfolio, resulting in a yield reduction of 10-15%, and so could the heat, especially with sites in the cooler Spitzer Graben. Cellar master Heinz Frischengruber adds that skin contact times for both Riesling and Grüner Veltliner were increased. In his opinion, while this sacrifices a little acidity, it allows for more Rückgrat, or backbone. The ripeness of 2023 is more apparent in the entry-level wines because the Smaragds show exquisite freshness in the context of the year. The clear-cut house style is also an advantage in this respect.
2023 Grüner Veltliner Kirnberg Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2053

Tasting notes: The 2023 Grüner Veltliner Kirnberg Smaragd (from the right bank of the Danube) was grown on a plateau of paragneiss. Gentlest white pepper, green pear peel, crushed meadow herbs and citrus unite into an aromatic, compelling nose. The palate is rounded, ripe, and smooth yet has an absolute citrus contour, channeling this ripeness. Its core of yeastiness holds spice and fruit in equal measure. It's framed with zestiness, emanating long after the last sip. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
In terms of climate change, 2023 was a record year, says Roman Horvath MW, but notes that in comparison to 20 years ago in 2003, the first really and first unprecedently hot vintage of this century, growers are now much better equipped to deal with the situation. Work has gone into building water retention in the soil with “healthier, more distributed root systems,” and both soil and canopy management are “many steps ahead of where we were then,” he notes. The hail damage that hit others could be mitigated by the broad site portfolio, resulting in a yield reduction of 10-15%, and so could the heat, especially with sites in the cooler Spitzer Graben. Cellar master Heinz Frischengruber adds that skin contact times for both Riesling and Grüner Veltliner were increased. In his opinion, while this sacrifices a little acidity, it allows for more Rückgrat, or backbone. The ripeness of 2023 is more apparent in the entry-level wines because the Smaragds show exquisite freshness in the context of the year. The clear-cut house style is also an advantage in this respect.
2023 Grüner Veltliner Achleiten Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2053

Tasting notes: The 2023 Grüner Veltliner Achleiten Smaragd is still alive with yeastiness, but white pepper spice shimmers through. With more air, there is a note of iced Mirabelle coulis, of exquisite, ripe, juicy freshness, with a tinge of bergamot peel. This is astonishingly aromatic and expressive for a barrel sample. The palate is taut, compact and expressive. It is concentrated and brings its yeasty intensity to the fore, entering into a pact with the zesty freshness to drive this forward. Superb. It does not taste of a warm year at all with all of its focus. Superb site, superb wine. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
In terms of climate change, 2023 was a record year, says Roman Horvath MW, but notes that in comparison to 20 years ago in 2003, the first really and first unprecedently hot vintage of this century, growers are now much better equipped to deal with the situation. Work has gone into building water retention in the soil with “healthier, more distributed root systems,” and both soil and canopy management are “many steps ahead of where we were then,” he notes. The hail damage that hit others could be mitigated by the broad site portfolio, resulting in a yield reduction of 10-15%, and so could the heat, especially with sites in the cooler Spitzer Graben. Cellar master Heinz Frischengruber adds that skin contact times for both Riesling and Grüner Veltliner were increased. In his opinion, while this sacrifices a little acidity, it allows for more Rückgrat, or backbone. The ripeness of 2023 is more apparent in the entry-level wines because the Smaragds show exquisite freshness in the context of the year. The clear-cut house style is also an advantage in this respect.
2023 Grüner Veltliner Schön Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2053

Tasting notes: The 2023 Grüner Veltliner Schön Smaragd is from the lateral valley of the Spitzer Graben. A small portion was fermented in wood, and the majority in stainless steel. Yeast is still the dominant impression on the nose. It also imbues the palate with its savory vibe, lending white pepper and miso, fringed with ivy and crushed arugula, adding just a smidgeon of pear and delivering a lovely smattering of white pepper and zest. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
In terms of climate change, 2023 was a record year, says Roman Horvath MW, but notes that in comparison to 20 years ago in 2003, the first really and first unprecedently hot vintage of this century, growers are now much better equipped to deal with the situation. Work has gone into building water retention in the soil with “healthier, more distributed root systems,” and both soil and canopy management are “many steps ahead of where we were then,” he notes. The hail damage that hit others could be mitigated by the broad site portfolio, resulting in a yield reduction of 10-15%, and so could the heat, especially with sites in the cooler Spitzer Graben. Cellar master Heinz Frischengruber adds that skin contact times for both Riesling and Grüner Veltliner were increased. In his opinion, while this sacrifices a little acidity, it allows for more Rückgrat, or backbone. The ripeness of 2023 is more apparent in the entry-level wines because the Smaragds show exquisite freshness in the context of the year. The clear-cut house style is also an advantage in this respect.
2023 Riesling Loibenberg Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2053

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Loibenberg Federspiel grows on the higher reaches of the warm Loibenberg, between 350 and 400 meters of altitude. Sometimes, I think I can smell texture when all the fruit seems to smell of its peel: passion fruit, pear skin and citrus zest. The palate is rounder, glowing with an inner ripeness that drips with apricot juice, but it is framed with tangerine freshness and linearity that gives this an immensely juicy balance. Lovely, taut and tight. So clean-cut and fresh. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
In terms of climate change, 2023 was a record year, says Roman Horvath MW, but notes that in comparison to 20 years ago in 2003, the first really and first unprecedently hot vintage of this century, growers are now much better equipped to deal with the situation. Work has gone into building water retention in the soil with “healthier, more distributed root systems,” and both soil and canopy management are “many steps ahead of where we were then,” he notes. The hail damage that hit others could be mitigated by the broad site portfolio, resulting in a yield reduction of 10-15%, and so could the heat, especially with sites in the cooler Spitzer Graben. Cellar master Heinz Frischengruber adds that skin contact times for both Riesling and Grüner Veltliner were increased. In his opinion, while this sacrifices a little acidity, it allows for more Rückgrat, or backbone. The ripeness of 2023 is more apparent in the entry-level wines because the Smaragds show exquisite freshness in the context of the year. The clear-cut house style is also an advantage in this respect.
2023 Riesling 1000 Eimer Berg Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2053

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling 1000-Eimer-Berg Federspiel has a complex nose that unites sumptuous ripeness with tarter, zestier elements of green pear peel. Lovely stone fruit beckons but remains framed with absolute zest. All are bundled into a vivid streak of freshness, accompanied by apricot and pale peach, but definitely majoring on citrus. It is alive, vivid, long and refreshing. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
In terms of climate change, 2023 was a record year, says Roman Horvath MW, but notes that in comparison to 20 years ago in 2003, the first really and first unprecedently hot vintage of this century, growers are now much better equipped to deal with the situation. Work has gone into building water retention in the soil with “healthier, more distributed root systems,” and both soil and canopy management are “many steps ahead of where we were then,” he notes. The hail damage that hit others could be mitigated by the broad site portfolio, resulting in a yield reduction of 10-15%, and so could the heat, especially with sites in the cooler Spitzer Graben. Cellar master Heinz Frischengruber adds that skin contact times for both Riesling and Grüner Veltliner were increased. In his opinion, while this sacrifices a little acidity, it allows for more Rückgrat, or backbone. The ripeness of 2023 is more apparent in the entry-level wines because the Smaragds show exquisite freshness in the context of the year. The clear-cut house style is also an advantage in this respect.
2023 Riesling Bruck Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2053

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Bruck Federspiel, also from the Spitzer Graben, shimmers with tender Reine Claude plum and green-yellow citrus. The palate is taut, slender and zesty, delivering textbook Riesling Federspiel tension. Pale lemon zest fizzes away on the stony, linear body and shines on the long finish. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
In terms of climate change, 2023 was a record year, says Roman Horvath MW, but notes that in comparison to 20 years ago in 2003, the first really and first unprecedently hot vintage of this century, growers are now much better equipped to deal with the situation. Work has gone into building water retention in the soil with “healthier, more distributed root systems,” and both soil and canopy management are “many steps ahead of where we were then,” he notes. The hail damage that hit others could be mitigated by the broad site portfolio, resulting in a yield reduction of 10-15%, and so could the heat, especially with sites in the cooler Spitzer Graben. Cellar master Heinz Frischengruber adds that skin contact times for both Riesling and Grüner Veltliner were increased. In his opinion, while this sacrifices a little acidity, it allows for more Rückgrat, or backbone. The ripeness of 2023 is more apparent in the entry-level wines because the Smaragds show exquisite freshness in the context of the year. The clear-cut house style is also an advantage in this respect.
2023 Riesling Trenning Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2053

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Trenning Federspiel is a site in the cool Spitzer Graben on steep terraces. This is only the second vintage made of the wine. Gorgeous green and yellow citrus play on the nose, already promising zestiness. The palate stays that way: slender, taut, zesty, alive and electric with lime and grapefruit. A clear winner in this warmer vintage. The 2023 is squeaky clean and so exciting, precise and chiseled. Whoa. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
In terms of climate change, 2023 was a record year, says Roman Horvath MW, but notes that in comparison to 20 years ago in 2003, the first really and first unprecedently hot vintage of this century, growers are now much better equipped to deal with the situation. Work has gone into building water retention in the soil with “healthier, more distributed root systems,” and both soil and canopy management are “many steps ahead of where we were then,” he notes. The hail damage that hit others could be mitigated by the broad site portfolio, resulting in a yield reduction of 10-15%, and so could the heat, especially with sites in the cooler Spitzer Graben. Cellar master Heinz Frischengruber adds that skin contact times for both Riesling and Grüner Veltliner were increased. In his opinion, while this sacrifices a little acidity, it allows for more Rückgrat, or backbone. The ripeness of 2023 is more apparent in the entry-level wines because the Smaragds show exquisite freshness in the context of the year. The clear-cut house style is also an advantage in this respect.
2023 Grüner Veltliner Kreuzberg Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2034

Tasting notes: The 2023 Grüner Veltliner Kreuzberg Federspiel (from the north-facing site further cooled by the cool air from the Dunkelsteiner Wald) was fermented in neutral barrel and stainless steel. The nose has gorgeous citrus vibes, almost with a lovely scent of bergamot, not unlike Riesling in fact. But yes, it is in Grüner in the glass. The white pepper on the yeasty texture confirms this, yet that citrus vibe is immense. This is full of verve, freshness, and aroma, with beautiful concentration and real drive. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
In terms of climate change, 2023 was a record year, says Roman Horvath MW, but notes that in comparison to 20 years ago in 2003, the first really and first unprecedently hot vintage of this century, growers are now much better equipped to deal with the situation. Work has gone into building water retention in the soil with “healthier, more distributed root systems,” and both soil and canopy management are “many steps ahead of where we were then,” he notes. The hail damage that hit others could be mitigated by the broad site portfolio, resulting in a yield reduction of 10-15%, and so could the heat, especially with sites in the cooler Spitzer Graben. Cellar master Heinz Frischengruber adds that skin contact times for both Riesling and Grüner Veltliner were increased. In his opinion, while this sacrifices a little acidity, it allows for more Rückgrat, or backbone. The ripeness of 2023 is more apparent in the entry-level wines because the Smaragds show exquisite freshness in the context of the year. The clear-cut house style is also an advantage in this respect.
2023 Grüner Veltliner Pichlpoint Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2034

Tasting notes: The 2023 Grüner Veltliner Pichlpoint Federspiel is grown predominantly on loess and fermented in stainless steel. On the nose, earth, yeast and the ripest yellow pear unite. The palate hones in on salty yeast and texture, with much white miso savor, using fruit as a kind of shimmering light rather than a main theme. There is a lot of Grüner savor with a zesty finish. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
In terms of climate change, 2023 was a record year, says Roman Horvath MW, but notes that in comparison to 20 years ago in 2003, the first really and first unprecedently hot vintage of this century, growers are now much better equipped to deal with the situation. Work has gone into building water retention in the soil with “healthier, more distributed root systems,” and both soil and canopy management are “many steps ahead of where we were then,” he notes. The hail damage that hit others could be mitigated by the broad site portfolio, resulting in a yield reduction of 10-15%, and so could the heat, especially with sites in the cooler Spitzer Graben. Cellar master Heinz Frischengruber adds that skin contact times for both Riesling and Grüner Veltliner were increased. In his opinion, while this sacrifices a little acidity, it allows for more Rückgrat, or backbone. The ripeness of 2023 is more apparent in the entry-level wines because the Smaragds show exquisite freshness in the context of the year. The clear-cut house style is also an advantage in this respect.
2022 Grüner Veltliner v.d.n.
Color: Fortified/spirits

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2022 Grüner Veltliner V.D.N. is a wine fortified with brandy distilled from Grüner Veltliner, modeled on southern French sweet wines. The French bulldog on the label was chosen to signal a wine that is both strong and sweet. The brandy nose is undeniable, shimmering with Williams pear and presenting a gentle sweetness on its potent body. It segues into vanilla and smoothness but needs time to integrate. (Fortified)

Producer Commentary:
Domäne Wachau is a cooperative winery founded in the 1930s as Winzergenossenschaft Wachau. In 1990, it was re-named Freie Weingärtner Wachau, and in 2008, it was renamed again as Domäne Wachau. The cooperative represents 250 winegrowing families and makes wine from around 400 hectares of vineyard. Of these 400 hectares, 150 are either already certified organic or in conversion. The largest owners have between eight and nine hectares, but most members farm between one and two hectares of vines. The co-op is run by Roman Horvath MW on the business side, with Heinz Frischengruber as cellarmaster. “We have tried to redefine the concept of a co-op,” Horvath says, “in so far that it is more than just winemakers delivering grapes, toward farming according to a distinct vision of a specific wine.” He also points out the advantage of the co-op model that does not rely on hired harvest workers, calling it “ethically sustainable.” The varietal split is 70% Grüner Veltliner and 20% Riesling, with the remaining 10% Gelber Muskateller, Traminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt and Neuburger. Most vineyards have two harvest passes, and 25 sites are bottled separately with three harvest passes—so this is far from your usual cooperative. The style is clean-cut and pristine. The 2022 harvest started on 20 September and required stringent selection. “It was cumbersome,“ Frischengruber says, “but a spell of dry weather in early October with a little Indian summer provided relief. The effort to harvest healthy fruit was enormous.” Harvest did not conclude until 8 November. During my visit, I tasted a selection of 2022 white wines.
2022 Grüner Veltliner Steinwerg Spitzer Graben
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2022 Grüner Veltliner Steinwerk Spitzer Graben is from the coolest sub-region of the Wachau, fermented with whole berries in a marble vessel. The nose is unusual and savory, channeling crisp chicken skin umami and lovely earthiness. The palate holds varietal pepper notes and channels all of Grüner's essential stoniness and spice. This goes deep into soil and spice with much concentration, making for an unusual, spicy, compelling and delicious wine. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Domäne Wachau is a cooperative winery founded in the 1930s as Winzergenossenschaft Wachau. In 1990, it was re-named Freie Weingärtner Wachau, and in 2008, it was renamed again as Domäne Wachau. The cooperative represents 250 winegrowing families and makes wine from around 400 hectares of vineyard. Of these 400 hectares, 150 are either already certified organic or in conversion. The largest owners have between eight and nine hectares, but most members farm between one and two hectares of vines. The co-op is run by Roman Horvath MW on the business side, with Heinz Frischengruber as cellarmaster. “We have tried to redefine the concept of a co-op,” Horvath says, “in so far that it is more than just winemakers delivering grapes, toward farming according to a distinct vision of a specific wine.” He also points out the advantage of the co-op model that does not rely on hired harvest workers, calling it “ethically sustainable.” The varietal split is 70% Grüner Veltliner and 20% Riesling, with the remaining 10% Gelber Muskateller, Traminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt and Neuburger. Most vineyards have two harvest passes, and 25 sites are bottled separately with three harvest passes—so this is far from your usual cooperative. The style is clean-cut and pristine. The 2022 harvest started on 20 September and required stringent selection. “It was cumbersome,“ Frischengruber says, “but a spell of dry weather in early October with a little Indian summer provided relief. The effort to harvest healthy fruit was enormous.” Harvest did not conclude until 8 November. During my visit, I tasted a selection of 2022 white wines.
2022 Grüner Veltliner Pichlpoint Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2028

Tasting notes: The 2022 Grüner Veltliner Pichlpoint Federspiel is harvested from a site of deep loess with all the generosity that brings. The nose opens with a slight crackle of reduction that opens into juicy, riper notions of pear. The palate is bright with freshness and offers just an edge of yeastiness on its slender, juicy presentation, showing a vestige of pepper on the finish. Notwithstanding the relative generosity, this is super-clean-cut and taut. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Domäne Wachau is a cooperative winery founded in the 1930s as Winzergenossenschaft Wachau. In 1990, it was re-named Freie Weingärtner Wachau, and in 2008, it was renamed again as Domäne Wachau. The cooperative represents 250 winegrowing families and makes wine from around 400 hectares of vineyard. Of these 400 hectares, 150 are either already certified organic or in conversion. The largest owners have between eight and nine hectares, but most members farm between one and two hectares of vines. The co-op is run by Roman Horvath MW on the business side, with Heinz Frischengruber as cellarmaster. “We have tried to redefine the concept of a co-op,” Horvath says, “in so far that it is more than just winemakers delivering grapes, toward farming according to a distinct vision of a specific wine.” He also points out the advantage of the co-op model that does not rely on hired harvest workers, calling it “ethically sustainable.” The varietal split is 70% Grüner Veltliner and 20% Riesling, with the remaining 10% Gelber Muskateller, Traminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt and Neuburger. Most vineyards have two harvest passes, and 25 sites are bottled separately with three harvest passes—so this is far from your usual cooperative. The style is clean-cut and pristine. The 2022 harvest started on 20 September and required stringent selection. “It was cumbersome,“ Frischengruber says, “but a spell of dry weather in early October with a little Indian summer provided relief. The effort to harvest healthy fruit was enormous.” Harvest did not conclude until 8 November. During my visit, I tasted a selection of 2022 white wines.
2022 Grüner Veltliner Liebenberg Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2022 Grüner Veltliner Liebenberg Federspiel is from 60-100-year-old vines on a terraced site of paragneiss with some amphibolite. Subtle yeast notes come with just a notion of green and yellow pear and a smoky edge. The nose is rather closed and still slightly reduced. The palate is absolutely taut, crackling with white pepper—totally straight-laced, juicy, peppery, savory and stony. This is just so streamlined. It’s a very racy and exciting Grüner without any fat. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Domäne Wachau is a cooperative winery founded in the 1930s as Winzergenossenschaft Wachau. In 1990, it was re-named Freie Weingärtner Wachau, and in 2008, it was renamed again as Domäne Wachau. The cooperative represents 250 winegrowing families and makes wine from around 400 hectares of vineyard. Of these 400 hectares, 150 are either already certified organic or in conversion. The largest owners have between eight and nine hectares, but most members farm between one and two hectares of vines. The co-op is run by Roman Horvath MW on the business side, with Heinz Frischengruber as cellarmaster. “We have tried to redefine the concept of a co-op,” Horvath says, “in so far that it is more than just winemakers delivering grapes, toward farming according to a distinct vision of a specific wine.” He also points out the advantage of the co-op model that does not rely on hired harvest workers, calling it “ethically sustainable.” The varietal split is 70% Grüner Veltliner and 20% Riesling, with the remaining 10% Gelber Muskateller, Traminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt and Neuburger. Most vineyards have two harvest passes, and 25 sites are bottled separately with three harvest passes—so this is far from your usual cooperative. The style is clean-cut and pristine. The 2022 harvest started on 20 September and required stringent selection. “It was cumbersome,“ Frischengruber says, “but a spell of dry weather in early October with a little Indian summer provided relief. The effort to harvest healthy fruit was enormous.” Harvest did not conclude until 8 November. During my visit, I tasted a selection of 2022 white wines.
2021 Chardonnay Reserve
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2021 Chardonnay Reserve was harvested in vineyards with some calcareous soil, like Steinriegl, and fermented with some turbidity in 300-liter barrels, staying on fine lees for 24 months. Ripeness on the nose channels creaminess to meet vivid freshness on the palate. Bright verve reveals stone and resonance with unusual depth. Creaminess defines a finish that echoes with lemony length—an unusual but absolutely streamlined Chardonnay. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Domäne Wachau is a cooperative winery founded in the 1930s as Winzergenossenschaft Wachau. In 1990, it was re-named Freie Weingärtner Wachau, and in 2008, it was renamed again as Domäne Wachau. The cooperative represents 250 winegrowing families and makes wine from around 400 hectares of vineyard. Of these 400 hectares, 150 are either already certified organic or in conversion. The largest owners have between eight and nine hectares, but most members farm between one and two hectares of vines. The co-op is run by Roman Horvath MW on the business side, with Heinz Frischengruber as cellarmaster. “We have tried to redefine the concept of a co-op,” Horvath says, “in so far that it is more than just winemakers delivering grapes, toward farming according to a distinct vision of a specific wine.” He also points out the advantage of the co-op model that does not rely on hired harvest workers, calling it “ethically sustainable.” The varietal split is 70% Grüner Veltliner and 20% Riesling, with the remaining 10% Gelber Muskateller, Traminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt and Neuburger. Most vineyards have two harvest passes, and 25 sites are bottled separately with three harvest passes—so this is far from your usual cooperative. The style is clean-cut and pristine. The 2022 harvest started on 20 September and required stringent selection. “It was cumbersome,“ Frischengruber says, “but a spell of dry weather in early October with a little Indian summer provided relief. The effort to harvest healthy fruit was enormous.” Harvest did not conclude until 8 November. During my visit, I tasted a selection of 2022 white wines.
2022 Gemischter Satz Uralt Reben Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2022 Gemischter Satz Uralt-Reben Smaragd is from a site in Weissenkirchen planted in the 1920s and 30s to a field blend consisting of Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Neuburger, Muskateller, Brauner Veltliner, Heunisch and more. It was fermented with whole berries and much turbidity in a 500-liter barrel. A touch of honey on the nose points to ripeness, while the tiny grapes of the old vines spell concentration. The palate is super smooth and rich with texture and character, referencing blossom honey, lemon peel and chalkiness. Fine freshness highlights all, while subtle phenolics add fine-boned structure and poise. This finishes long and taut—quite distinctive. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Domäne Wachau is a cooperative winery founded in the 1930s as Winzergenossenschaft Wachau. In 1990, it was re-named Freie Weingärtner Wachau, and in 2008, it was renamed again as Domäne Wachau. The cooperative represents 250 winegrowing families and makes wine from around 400 hectares of vineyard. Of these 400 hectares, 150 are either already certified organic or in conversion. The largest owners have between eight and nine hectares, but most members farm between one and two hectares of vines. The co-op is run by Roman Horvath MW on the business side, with Heinz Frischengruber as cellarmaster. “We have tried to redefine the concept of a co-op,” Horvath says, “in so far that it is more than just winemakers delivering grapes, toward farming according to a distinct vision of a specific wine.” He also points out the advantage of the co-op model that does not rely on hired harvest workers, calling it “ethically sustainable.” The varietal split is 70% Grüner Veltliner and 20% Riesling, with the remaining 10% Gelber Muskateller, Traminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt and Neuburger. Most vineyards have two harvest passes, and 25 sites are bottled separately with three harvest passes—so this is far from your usual cooperative. The style is clean-cut and pristine. The 2022 harvest started on 20 September and required stringent selection. “It was cumbersome,“ Frischengruber says, “but a spell of dry weather in early October with a little Indian summer provided relief. The effort to harvest healthy fruit was enormous.” Harvest did not conclude until 8 November. During my visit, I tasted a selection of 2022 white wines.
2022 Grüner Veltliner Achleiten Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2022 Grüner Veltliner Achleiten Smaragd is still shy on the nose. Mere glimpses of yeast, juicy yellow stone fruit and peppery verve only tease with brief appearances. The palate, however, is alive with white pepper, concentrated, tingling, chiseled and taut. This will take time to come out of its shell, but the promise of orange zest, pear flesh and even more white pepper is there. This is a powerful, elegant wine from this near mythical site. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Domäne Wachau is a cooperative winery founded in the 1930s as Winzergenossenschaft Wachau. In 1990, it was re-named Freie Weingärtner Wachau, and in 2008, it was renamed again as Domäne Wachau. The cooperative represents 250 winegrowing families and makes wine from around 400 hectares of vineyard. Of these 400 hectares, 150 are either already certified organic or in conversion. The largest owners have between eight and nine hectares, but most members farm between one and two hectares of vines. The co-op is run by Roman Horvath MW on the business side, with Heinz Frischengruber as cellarmaster. “We have tried to redefine the concept of a co-op,” Horvath says, “in so far that it is more than just winemakers delivering grapes, toward farming according to a distinct vision of a specific wine.” He also points out the advantage of the co-op model that does not rely on hired harvest workers, calling it “ethically sustainable.” The varietal split is 70% Grüner Veltliner and 20% Riesling, with the remaining 10% Gelber Muskateller, Traminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt and Neuburger. Most vineyards have two harvest passes, and 25 sites are bottled separately with three harvest passes—so this is far from your usual cooperative. The style is clean-cut and pristine. The 2022 harvest started on 20 September and required stringent selection. “It was cumbersome,“ Frischengruber says, “but a spell of dry weather in early October with a little Indian summer provided relief. The effort to harvest healthy fruit was enormous.” Harvest did not conclude until 8 November. During my visit, I tasted a selection of 2022 white wines.
2022 Grüner Veltliner Kellerberg Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2022 Grüner Veltliner Kellerberg Smaragd brims with yeasty savoriness that harbors citrus notions. The palate comes in with white miso and pepper that trails zesty tanginess. The freshness is vivid, with salinity, pepperiness and absolutely racy acidity. The Kellerberg is enticing, animating and very vivid. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Domäne Wachau is a cooperative winery founded in the 1930s as Winzergenossenschaft Wachau. In 1990, it was re-named Freie Weingärtner Wachau, and in 2008, it was renamed again as Domäne Wachau. The cooperative represents 250 winegrowing families and makes wine from around 400 hectares of vineyard. Of these 400 hectares, 150 are either already certified organic or in conversion. The largest owners have between eight and nine hectares, but most members farm between one and two hectares of vines. The co-op is run by Roman Horvath MW on the business side, with Heinz Frischengruber as cellarmaster. “We have tried to redefine the concept of a co-op,” Horvath says, “in so far that it is more than just winemakers delivering grapes, toward farming according to a distinct vision of a specific wine.” He also points out the advantage of the co-op model that does not rely on hired harvest workers, calling it “ethically sustainable.” The varietal split is 70% Grüner Veltliner and 20% Riesling, with the remaining 10% Gelber Muskateller, Traminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt and Neuburger. Most vineyards have two harvest passes, and 25 sites are bottled separately with three harvest passes—so this is far from your usual cooperative. The style is clean-cut and pristine. The 2022 harvest started on 20 September and required stringent selection. “It was cumbersome,“ Frischengruber says, “but a spell of dry weather in early October with a little Indian summer provided relief. The effort to harvest healthy fruit was enormous.” Harvest did not conclude until 8 November. During my visit, I tasted a selection of 2022 white wines.
2022 Grüner Veltliner Kirnberg Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2022 Grüner Veltliner Kirnberg Smaragd was harvested on a plateau on the right bank of the Danube that gets both morning and evening sun. A slight veil of smoke on the nose is followed by fern and moss. The palate holds very tight white pepper—like a little pepper bomb—accompanied by green notions. Concentration and energy hold through a savory citrus finish. The bright palate is quite svelte and taut. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Domäne Wachau is a cooperative winery founded in the 1930s as Winzergenossenschaft Wachau. In 1990, it was re-named Freie Weingärtner Wachau, and in 2008, it was renamed again as Domäne Wachau. The cooperative represents 250 winegrowing families and makes wine from around 400 hectares of vineyard. Of these 400 hectares, 150 are either already certified organic or in conversion. The largest owners have between eight and nine hectares, but most members farm between one and two hectares of vines. The co-op is run by Roman Horvath MW on the business side, with Heinz Frischengruber as cellarmaster. “We have tried to redefine the concept of a co-op,” Horvath says, “in so far that it is more than just winemakers delivering grapes, toward farming according to a distinct vision of a specific wine.” He also points out the advantage of the co-op model that does not rely on hired harvest workers, calling it “ethically sustainable.” The varietal split is 70% Grüner Veltliner and 20% Riesling, with the remaining 10% Gelber Muskateller, Traminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt and Neuburger. Most vineyards have two harvest passes, and 25 sites are bottled separately with three harvest passes—so this is far from your usual cooperative. The style is clean-cut and pristine. The 2022 harvest started on 20 September and required stringent selection. “It was cumbersome,“ Frischengruber says, “but a spell of dry weather in early October with a little Indian summer provided relief. The effort to harvest healthy fruit was enormous.” Harvest did not conclude until 8 November. During my visit, I tasted a selection of 2022 white wines.
2022 Grüner Veltliner Kreuzberg Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2022 Grüner Veltliner Kreuzberg Federspiel, from the right bank of the Danube, is grown on amphibolite with a loess cover, benefiting from the cool night air from the Dunkelsteiner forest. It opens with a note of ivy and moss, a freshness and cool verve that carries right onto the palate. This shines with tingling pepper and cooling, minty, greenish freshness that lingers. Concentrated and poised. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Domäne Wachau is a cooperative winery founded in the 1930s as Winzergenossenschaft Wachau. In 1990, it was re-named Freie Weingärtner Wachau, and in 2008, it was renamed again as Domäne Wachau. The cooperative represents 250 winegrowing families and makes wine from around 400 hectares of vineyard. Of these 400 hectares, 150 are either already certified organic or in conversion. The largest owners have between eight and nine hectares, but most members farm between one and two hectares of vines. The co-op is run by Roman Horvath MW on the business side, with Heinz Frischengruber as cellarmaster. “We have tried to redefine the concept of a co-op,” Horvath says, “in so far that it is more than just winemakers delivering grapes, toward farming according to a distinct vision of a specific wine.” He also points out the advantage of the co-op model that does not rely on hired harvest workers, calling it “ethically sustainable.” The varietal split is 70% Grüner Veltliner and 20% Riesling, with the remaining 10% Gelber Muskateller, Traminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt and Neuburger. Most vineyards have two harvest passes, and 25 sites are bottled separately with three harvest passes—so this is far from your usual cooperative. The style is clean-cut and pristine. The 2022 harvest started on 20 September and required stringent selection. “It was cumbersome,“ Frischengruber says, “but a spell of dry weather in early October with a little Indian summer provided relief. The effort to harvest healthy fruit was enormous.” Harvest did not conclude until 8 November. During my visit, I tasted a selection of 2022 white wines.
2022 Grüner Veltliner Schön Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2022 Grüner Veltliner Schön Smaragd is from the lateral valley of the Spitzer Graben, bottled separately for the first time in this vintage. Nutty, aromatic yeast on the nose continues onto a palate of lemon, fresh white pepper and crushed sage, superimposed on a creamy backdrop. This is taut, fresh and smooth yet brisk—a Grüner with Riesling-like raciness and exciting, delicious drive. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Domäne Wachau is a cooperative winery founded in the 1930s as Winzergenossenschaft Wachau. In 1990, it was re-named Freie Weingärtner Wachau, and in 2008, it was renamed again as Domäne Wachau. The cooperative represents 250 winegrowing families and makes wine from around 400 hectares of vineyard. Of these 400 hectares, 150 are either already certified organic or in conversion. The largest owners have between eight and nine hectares, but most members farm between one and two hectares of vines. The co-op is run by Roman Horvath MW on the business side, with Heinz Frischengruber as cellarmaster. “We have tried to redefine the concept of a co-op,” Horvath says, “in so far that it is more than just winemakers delivering grapes, toward farming according to a distinct vision of a specific wine.” He also points out the advantage of the co-op model that does not rely on hired harvest workers, calling it “ethically sustainable.” The varietal split is 70% Grüner Veltliner and 20% Riesling, with the remaining 10% Gelber Muskateller, Traminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt and Neuburger. Most vineyards have two harvest passes, and 25 sites are bottled separately with three harvest passes—so this is far from your usual cooperative. The style is clean-cut and pristine. The 2022 harvest started on 20 September and required stringent selection. “It was cumbersome,“ Frischengruber says, “but a spell of dry weather in early October with a little Indian summer provided relief. The effort to harvest healthy fruit was enormous.” Harvest did not conclude until 8 November. During my visit, I tasted a selection of 2022 white wines.
2022 Grüner Veltliner Terrassen Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2028

Tasting notes: The 2022 Grüner Veltliner Terrassen Federspiel was harvested across the Wachau on terraced sites and was made in stainless steel. A small proportion was skin-fermented. An aroma of hay-flowers brings herbal savoriness to the nose alongside ripe pear fruit. The palate surprises with its vivid, bright freshness, brimming with lemon and singing with juiciness. Slight yeastiness rounds the body and the bone-dry finish. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Domäne Wachau is a cooperative winery founded in the 1930s as Winzergenossenschaft Wachau. In 1990, it was re-named Freie Weingärtner Wachau, and in 2008, it was renamed again as Domäne Wachau. The cooperative represents 250 winegrowing families and makes wine from around 400 hectares of vineyard. Of these 400 hectares, 150 are either already certified organic or in conversion. The largest owners have between eight and nine hectares, but most members farm between one and two hectares of vines. The co-op is run by Roman Horvath MW on the business side, with Heinz Frischengruber as cellarmaster. “We have tried to redefine the concept of a co-op,” Horvath says, “in so far that it is more than just winemakers delivering grapes, toward farming according to a distinct vision of a specific wine.” He also points out the advantage of the co-op model that does not rely on hired harvest workers, calling it “ethically sustainable.” The varietal split is 70% Grüner Veltliner and 20% Riesling, with the remaining 10% Gelber Muskateller, Traminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt and Neuburger. Most vineyards have two harvest passes, and 25 sites are bottled separately with three harvest passes—so this is far from your usual cooperative. The style is clean-cut and pristine. The 2022 harvest started on 20 September and required stringent selection. “It was cumbersome,“ Frischengruber says, “but a spell of dry weather in early October with a little Indian summer provided relief. The effort to harvest healthy fruit was enormous.” Harvest did not conclude until 8 November. During my visit, I tasted a selection of 2022 white wines.
2022 Müller Thurgau Mtx
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2022 Müller Thurgau MTX stands for Müller Thurgau extreme, diverging "extremely" from traditional Wachau styles. It was picked from vines planted in the 1960s and fermented in concrete egg, with some prior skin contact, then bottled without fining or filtration. Some yeasty funk defines the nose, with a slender palate that delivers lightness and verve. This is bright, vivid and very animated with its light body, channeling translucent lemon freshness on tiptoe. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Domäne Wachau is a cooperative winery founded in the 1930s as Winzergenossenschaft Wachau. In 1990, it was re-named Freie Weingärtner Wachau, and in 2008, it was renamed again as Domäne Wachau. The cooperative represents 250 winegrowing families and makes wine from around 400 hectares of vineyard. Of these 400 hectares, 150 are either already certified organic or in conversion. The largest owners have between eight and nine hectares, but most members farm between one and two hectares of vines. The co-op is run by Roman Horvath MW on the business side, with Heinz Frischengruber as cellarmaster. “We have tried to redefine the concept of a co-op,” Horvath says, “in so far that it is more than just winemakers delivering grapes, toward farming according to a distinct vision of a specific wine.” He also points out the advantage of the co-op model that does not rely on hired harvest workers, calling it “ethically sustainable.” The varietal split is 70% Grüner Veltliner and 20% Riesling, with the remaining 10% Gelber Muskateller, Traminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt and Neuburger. Most vineyards have two harvest passes, and 25 sites are bottled separately with three harvest passes—so this is far from your usual cooperative. The style is clean-cut and pristine. The 2022 harvest started on 20 September and required stringent selection. “It was cumbersome,“ Frischengruber says, “but a spell of dry weather in early October with a little Indian summer provided relief. The effort to harvest healthy fruit was enormous.” Harvest did not conclude until 8 November. During my visit, I tasted a selection of 2022 white wines.
2022 Riesling Achleiten Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Achleiten Smaragd opens with subtle smoke infused with lemon and crushed citrus foliage. The palate is streamlined, showing brightness, linear energy and sheer life force. Concentrated, driven and bold, like a genie in a bottle, this rises upward, at the same time driving deep into stone with its insistent citrus force. This will take years to unveil its full and true colors. Wait for it. All is here. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Domäne Wachau is a cooperative winery founded in the 1930s as Winzergenossenschaft Wachau. In 1990, it was re-named Freie Weingärtner Wachau, and in 2008, it was renamed again as Domäne Wachau. The cooperative represents 250 winegrowing families and makes wine from around 400 hectares of vineyard. Of these 400 hectares, 150 are either already certified organic or in conversion. The largest owners have between eight and nine hectares, but most members farm between one and two hectares of vines. The co-op is run by Roman Horvath MW on the business side, with Heinz Frischengruber as cellarmaster. “We have tried to redefine the concept of a co-op,” Horvath says, “in so far that it is more than just winemakers delivering grapes, toward farming according to a distinct vision of a specific wine.” He also points out the advantage of the co-op model that does not rely on hired harvest workers, calling it “ethically sustainable.” The varietal split is 70% Grüner Veltliner and 20% Riesling, with the remaining 10% Gelber Muskateller, Traminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt and Neuburger. Most vineyards have two harvest passes, and 25 sites are bottled separately with three harvest passes—so this is far from your usual cooperative. The style is clean-cut and pristine. The 2022 harvest started on 20 September and required stringent selection. “It was cumbersome,“ Frischengruber says, “but a spell of dry weather in early October with a little Indian summer provided relief. The effort to harvest healthy fruit was enormous.” Harvest did not conclude until 8 November. During my visit, I tasted a selection of 2022 white wines.
2021 Riesling Amphora
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2021 Riesling Amphora was fermented spontaneously on skins and only pressed after six months. The nose has a lovely touch of Golden Pearmain apple and a peppery concentration that echoes of white, mellow apple flesh sprinkled white pepper. There is much concentration and a beautifully long, dry finish. This stands with a straight back and much mid-palate depth—a fresh-faced, textured and streamlined wine. It was bottled without sulfur dioxide. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Domäne Wachau is a cooperative winery founded in the 1930s as Winzergenossenschaft Wachau. In 1990, it was re-named Freie Weingärtner Wachau, and in 2008, it was renamed again as Domäne Wachau. The cooperative represents 250 winegrowing families and makes wine from around 400 hectares of vineyard. Of these 400 hectares, 150 are either already certified organic or in conversion. The largest owners have between eight and nine hectares, but most members farm between one and two hectares of vines. The co-op is run by Roman Horvath MW on the business side, with Heinz Frischengruber as cellarmaster. “We have tried to redefine the concept of a co-op,” Horvath says, “in so far that it is more than just winemakers delivering grapes, toward farming according to a distinct vision of a specific wine.” He also points out the advantage of the co-op model that does not rely on hired harvest workers, calling it “ethically sustainable.” The varietal split is 70% Grüner Veltliner and 20% Riesling, with the remaining 10% Gelber Muskateller, Traminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt and Neuburger. Most vineyards have two harvest passes, and 25 sites are bottled separately with three harvest passes—so this is far from your usual cooperative. The style is clean-cut and pristine. The 2022 harvest started on 20 September and required stringent selection. “It was cumbersome,“ Frischengruber says, “but a spell of dry weather in early October with a little Indian summer provided relief. The effort to harvest healthy fruit was enormous.” Harvest did not conclude until 8 November. During my visit, I tasted a selection of 2022 white wines.
2022 Riesling Brandstatt Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Brandstatt Smaragd is from a site tucked away at the furthest edge of the Spitzer Graben, a cool lateral valley. The tender nose holds citrus blossom and crushed citrus foliage. This rings with vivid freshness and slenderness on the graceful palate, finishing with echoes with lemon. Absolutely lip-smacking and super-racy. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Domäne Wachau is a cooperative winery founded in the 1930s as Winzergenossenschaft Wachau. In 1990, it was re-named Freie Weingärtner Wachau, and in 2008, it was renamed again as Domäne Wachau. The cooperative represents 250 winegrowing families and makes wine from around 400 hectares of vineyard. Of these 400 hectares, 150 are either already certified organic or in conversion. The largest owners have between eight and nine hectares, but most members farm between one and two hectares of vines. The co-op is run by Roman Horvath MW on the business side, with Heinz Frischengruber as cellarmaster. “We have tried to redefine the concept of a co-op,” Horvath says, “in so far that it is more than just winemakers delivering grapes, toward farming according to a distinct vision of a specific wine.” He also points out the advantage of the co-op model that does not rely on hired harvest workers, calling it “ethically sustainable.” The varietal split is 70% Grüner Veltliner and 20% Riesling, with the remaining 10% Gelber Muskateller, Traminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt and Neuburger. Most vineyards have two harvest passes, and 25 sites are bottled separately with three harvest passes—so this is far from your usual cooperative. The style is clean-cut and pristine. The 2022 harvest started on 20 September and required stringent selection. “It was cumbersome,“ Frischengruber says, “but a spell of dry weather in early October with a little Indian summer provided relief. The effort to harvest healthy fruit was enormous.” Harvest did not conclude until 8 November. During my visit, I tasted a selection of 2022 white wines.
2022 Riesling Bruck Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Bruck Federspiel, also from the lateral valley of the Spitzer Graben, was grown on weathered gneiss and amphibolite. Yeast is far more prevalent here, as is smoky, flinty reduction. The palate brings lemony precision, lemony flavors and lemony zestiness. This is bright, vivid and juicy. There is proper mid-palate traction and body, with a lovely, lasting, crystal-clear tautness—bracing and fresh. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Domäne Wachau is a cooperative winery founded in the 1930s as Winzergenossenschaft Wachau. In 1990, it was re-named Freie Weingärtner Wachau, and in 2008, it was renamed again as Domäne Wachau. The cooperative represents 250 winegrowing families and makes wine from around 400 hectares of vineyard. Of these 400 hectares, 150 are either already certified organic or in conversion. The largest owners have between eight and nine hectares, but most members farm between one and two hectares of vines. The co-op is run by Roman Horvath MW on the business side, with Heinz Frischengruber as cellarmaster. “We have tried to redefine the concept of a co-op,” Horvath says, “in so far that it is more than just winemakers delivering grapes, toward farming according to a distinct vision of a specific wine.” He also points out the advantage of the co-op model that does not rely on hired harvest workers, calling it “ethically sustainable.” The varietal split is 70% Grüner Veltliner and 20% Riesling, with the remaining 10% Gelber Muskateller, Traminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt and Neuburger. Most vineyards have two harvest passes, and 25 sites are bottled separately with three harvest passes—so this is far from your usual cooperative. The style is clean-cut and pristine. The 2022 harvest started on 20 September and required stringent selection. “It was cumbersome,“ Frischengruber says, “but a spell of dry weather in early October with a little Indian summer provided relief. The effort to harvest healthy fruit was enormous.” Harvest did not conclude until 8 November. During my visit, I tasted a selection of 2022 white wines.
2022 Riesling Kellerberg Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Kellerberg Smaragd emerges from a vineyard that extends right behind the winery. Vivid citrus, nettle and bright lemon bring herbal savoriness to the nose and much concentration to the palate. Stony intensity, drive and power characterize the wine, packing quite some punch and much freshness that rings with lemon intensity, stony insistence and power. Leave this until it is has a chance to calm down—the power is undeniable. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Domäne Wachau is a cooperative winery founded in the 1930s as Winzergenossenschaft Wachau. In 1990, it was re-named Freie Weingärtner Wachau, and in 2008, it was renamed again as Domäne Wachau. The cooperative represents 250 winegrowing families and makes wine from around 400 hectares of vineyard. Of these 400 hectares, 150 are either already certified organic or in conversion. The largest owners have between eight and nine hectares, but most members farm between one and two hectares of vines. The co-op is run by Roman Horvath MW on the business side, with Heinz Frischengruber as cellarmaster. “We have tried to redefine the concept of a co-op,” Horvath says, “in so far that it is more than just winemakers delivering grapes, toward farming according to a distinct vision of a specific wine.” He also points out the advantage of the co-op model that does not rely on hired harvest workers, calling it “ethically sustainable.” The varietal split is 70% Grüner Veltliner and 20% Riesling, with the remaining 10% Gelber Muskateller, Traminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt and Neuburger. Most vineyards have two harvest passes, and 25 sites are bottled separately with three harvest passes—so this is far from your usual cooperative. The style is clean-cut and pristine. The 2022 harvest started on 20 September and required stringent selection. “It was cumbersome,“ Frischengruber says, “but a spell of dry weather in early October with a little Indian summer provided relief. The effort to harvest healthy fruit was enormous.” Harvest did not conclude until 8 November. During my visit, I tasted a selection of 2022 white wines.
2022 Riesling Loibenberg Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Loibenberg Federspiel is picked from higher parcels in Loibenberg, ranging from 350-400 meters of altitude. The nose flickers with reduction that dissipates to present green pear and Reine Claude plum, with a riper aspect of yellow fruit. The palate has a yeasty element of creaminess, but it is driven by Riesling's essential raciness, enabled by altitude. Juiciness, freshness and drive are key here. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Domäne Wachau is a cooperative winery founded in the 1930s as Winzergenossenschaft Wachau. In 1990, it was re-named Freie Weingärtner Wachau, and in 2008, it was renamed again as Domäne Wachau. The cooperative represents 250 winegrowing families and makes wine from around 400 hectares of vineyard. Of these 400 hectares, 150 are either already certified organic or in conversion. The largest owners have between eight and nine hectares, but most members farm between one and two hectares of vines. The co-op is run by Roman Horvath MW on the business side, with Heinz Frischengruber as cellarmaster. “We have tried to redefine the concept of a co-op,” Horvath says, “in so far that it is more than just winemakers delivering grapes, toward farming according to a distinct vision of a specific wine.” He also points out the advantage of the co-op model that does not rely on hired harvest workers, calling it “ethically sustainable.” The varietal split is 70% Grüner Veltliner and 20% Riesling, with the remaining 10% Gelber Muskateller, Traminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt and Neuburger. Most vineyards have two harvest passes, and 25 sites are bottled separately with three harvest passes—so this is far from your usual cooperative. The style is clean-cut and pristine. The 2022 harvest started on 20 September and required stringent selection. “It was cumbersome,“ Frischengruber says, “but a spell of dry weather in early October with a little Indian summer provided relief. The effort to harvest healthy fruit was enormous.” Harvest did not conclude until 8 November. During my visit, I tasted a selection of 2022 white wines.
2022 Riesling Trenning Federspiel
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Trenning Federspiel was harvested in one of the Wachau’s coolest and highest sites, a steep slope in the lateral valley of the Spitzer Graben. This is the first vintage where this has been bottled separately. The nose is exquisitely fragrant, with crushed citrus leaf, glimpses of tangerine peel and a sense of conifer. The palate is super-slender yet exquisitely aromatic—bright and tight. This is svelte, brisk and incredibly refreshing, with and despite lovely substance. It’s almost weightless. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Domäne Wachau is a cooperative winery founded in the 1930s as Winzergenossenschaft Wachau. In 1990, it was re-named Freie Weingärtner Wachau, and in 2008, it was renamed again as Domäne Wachau. The cooperative represents 250 winegrowing families and makes wine from around 400 hectares of vineyard. Of these 400 hectares, 150 are either already certified organic or in conversion. The largest owners have between eight and nine hectares, but most members farm between one and two hectares of vines. The co-op is run by Roman Horvath MW on the business side, with Heinz Frischengruber as cellarmaster. “We have tried to redefine the concept of a co-op,” Horvath says, “in so far that it is more than just winemakers delivering grapes, toward farming according to a distinct vision of a specific wine.” He also points out the advantage of the co-op model that does not rely on hired harvest workers, calling it “ethically sustainable.” The varietal split is 70% Grüner Veltliner and 20% Riesling, with the remaining 10% Gelber Muskateller, Traminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt and Neuburger. Most vineyards have two harvest passes, and 25 sites are bottled separately with three harvest passes—so this is far from your usual cooperative. The style is clean-cut and pristine. The 2022 harvest started on 20 September and required stringent selection. “It was cumbersome,“ Frischengruber says, “but a spell of dry weather in early October with a little Indian summer provided relief. The effort to harvest healthy fruit was enormous.” Harvest did not conclude until 8 November. During my visit, I tasted a selection of 2022 white wines.
2022 Riesling Terrassen Federspiel Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2028

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Terrassen Federspiel is alive with bright, aromatic citrus on the nose. The palate shines with freshness on a slender, smooth and rounded body that channels energy. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Domäne Wachau is a cooperative winery founded in the 1930s as Winzergenossenschaft Wachau. In 1990, it was re-named Freie Weingärtner Wachau, and in 2008, it was renamed again as Domäne Wachau. The cooperative represents 250 winegrowing families and makes wine from around 400 hectares of vineyard. Of these 400 hectares, 150 are either already certified organic or in conversion. The largest owners have between eight and nine hectares, but most members farm between one and two hectares of vines. The co-op is run by Roman Horvath MW on the business side, with Heinz Frischengruber as cellarmaster. “We have tried to redefine the concept of a co-op,” Horvath says, “in so far that it is more than just winemakers delivering grapes, toward farming according to a distinct vision of a specific wine.” He also points out the advantage of the co-op model that does not rely on hired harvest workers, calling it “ethically sustainable.” The varietal split is 70% Grüner Veltliner and 20% Riesling, with the remaining 10% Gelber Muskateller, Traminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt and Neuburger. Most vineyards have two harvest passes, and 25 sites are bottled separately with three harvest passes—so this is far from your usual cooperative. The style is clean-cut and pristine. The 2022 harvest started on 20 September and required stringent selection. “It was cumbersome,“ Frischengruber says, “but a spell of dry weather in early October with a little Indian summer provided relief. The effort to harvest healthy fruit was enormous.” Harvest did not conclude until 8 November. During my visit, I tasted a selection of 2022 white wines.
2022 Riesling Loibenberg Smaragd
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Loibenberg Smaragd is from cooler, more western parcels close to the Mentalgraben, on poorer soils. Immediately revealing citrus foliage on the nose, this is aromatic and holds notions of ripe peach juiciness. The palate is concentrated, super-straight-laced and very taut, clearly in need of bottle age. All of its power and drive reveals a deep-seated peachiness. This is long and vivid. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Domäne Wachau is a cooperative winery founded in the 1930s as Winzergenossenschaft Wachau. In 1990, it was re-named Freie Weingärtner Wachau, and in 2008, it was renamed again as Domäne Wachau. The cooperative represents 250 winegrowing families and makes wine from around 400 hectares of vineyard. Of these 400 hectares, 150 are either already certified organic or in conversion. The largest owners have between eight and nine hectares, but most members farm between one and two hectares of vines. The co-op is run by Roman Horvath MW on the business side, with Heinz Frischengruber as cellarmaster. “We have tried to redefine the concept of a co-op,” Horvath says, “in so far that it is more than just winemakers delivering grapes, toward farming according to a distinct vision of a specific wine.” He also points out the advantage of the co-op model that does not rely on hired harvest workers, calling it “ethically sustainable.” The varietal split is 70% Grüner Veltliner and 20% Riesling, with the remaining 10% Gelber Muskateller, Traminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt and Neuburger. Most vineyards have two harvest passes, and 25 sites are bottled separately with three harvest passes—so this is far from your usual cooperative. The style is clean-cut and pristine. The 2022 harvest started on 20 September and required stringent selection. “It was cumbersome,“ Frischengruber says, “but a spell of dry weather in early October with a little Indian summer provided relief. The effort to harvest healthy fruit was enormous.” Harvest did not conclude until 8 November. During my visit, I tasted a selection of 2022 white wines.
2001 Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 1.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (tasted from cask) This wine, gathered from many sites, displays lovely aromas of overripe pear, baked apple, quince jelly and brown spices. Lanolin and vanilla from new wood become evident on the palate but are held in check. Oily, fat and imposingly glyceral, it nevertheless finishes with mouthwatering acidity and cut. Tastes a bit like Wachau-meets-Bonnezeaux. As long as there must be rigorous separation of botrytized berries both on the vine and on the sorting table to ensure clear dry wines, opines Fritz Miesbauer, there might as well be some good sweet wine to show for it. He has accepted some coaching from Alois Kracher, which is making itself felt. I have seldom if ever tasted any riesling so successfully emerging from a new barrel, where in this instance it is expected to stay until at least early 2003. 1 star.

Producer Commentary:
This illustrious co-operative, formerly Freiex000D Weingartner Wachau, has changed its label and its name. Domane ["doe-MAY-nae"] Wachau isx000D in fact a designation the co-op used earlier this century. Fritz Miesbauer and Rainer Wess are stillx000D calling the shots, and the wines still represent outstanding values. Sadly, the extraordinary,x000D computer-controlled technical facilities - most of them only put in place overx000D the past three years - were among the casualties of the August 2002x000D flooding. (Vin Divino) Also recommended: 2001 Gruner Veltliner Steinfeder Hochrain, 2001 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Loibenberg, 2001 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen, 2001 Riesling Federspiel Bruck, 2001 Riesling Smaragd Tausendeimerberg.
2016 Riesling Federspiel Steinriegl
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2021

Tasting notes: This successor to the inaugural 2015 (before then, Steinriegl fruit went to the generic “Terrassen” bottling) delivers scents and juicy but dusty profusion of chalk-laced pear, apple and lime. The seriously sustained finish turns slightly austere thanks to its stony cast and zesty piquancy, but still manages admirably to refresh. This is one of those many instances where I find it impossible not to associate the active-lime-rich, literally marbled underpinnings of this site itself (a feature rare in Lower Austria) with the wine’s flavor profile.

Producer Commentary:
This long exemplary and technically increasingly sophisticated co-op, heavily vested in far-flung vineyards including along the Spitzer Graben (which represents nearly half its total holdings) and in other vulnerable sectors, attempted massive action in an effort to spare vines from the three frosty late April days of 2016. Smudge pots, burning straw, sprinklers and a hovering helicopter all had a go at it. But losses were severe in several sectors and in Spitzer Graben were close to 90%. Director Roman Horvath observed that overall, Grüner Veltliner represented the salvation of the vintage, quantitatively speaking, as losses in Riesling, Neuburger, Pinot Blanc and Muskateller were close to half compared with an average year. And despite its reduced size, this vintage’s Grüner Veltliner crop yielded a generous contingent of bottlings, including – as befits the vintage’s combination of long hang time with modest must weights – no fewer than half a dozen vineyard-designated Federspiele, of which I was unfortunately only able to taste two. (Of five vineyard-designated Riesling Federspiel bottlings, I tasted four.) Picking began on September 22, but there were regular delays due to sporadic rain, and despite the small crop size, harvest was not completed until mid-November. Results confirm the high standards of this establishment. (For details concerning its vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2015 Riesling Federspiel Steinriegl
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2022

Tasting notes: Despite the renown of this site and the size of the Domäne Wachau, 2015 is the first vintage in which the co-op has dedicated a Riesling Federspiel to the Steinriegl, in which some of its members have very old vines. And what a wise decision that proved to be! A meadow-like mélange of herbal, grassy and floral notes entertains the nose. Juicy fresh lime and apple are suffused with chalk and stone on a lean, buoyant palate, yet sheer exuberance and brightness keep this concentrated bottling from seeming overly austere. Although picked late for Federspiel by vintage standards, it displays an aggregate of levity, animation and refreshment seldom encountered from 2015. 

Producer Commentary:
A clear indication of how effective the Domäne Wachau’s recent viticultural regimen has been is that even Grüner Veltliner Federspiel from top sites did not need to be harvested in 2015 until early October, albeit then in considerable haste. With picking for Smaragd having been delayed until the last third of that month, explained cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber, it became necessary to cull a certain accumulation of botrytis. His crew manifestly mastered that task. The best wines of this impressive collection share delightful freshness, energy and clarity, traits not to be taken for granted in 2015, and this is no doubt in part due to the same restraint in de-leafing, hedging and crop-thinning as well as the retention of ground-cooling cover crops that helped stave off prematurely high must weights. Possibly, too, a wine cooperative, drawing as it does on many small growers even within any given site, gained from lot diversity and blending options in a year when ripeness tended toward extreme homogeneity. The difference in finished alcohol between Federspiel and Smaragd bottlings is unusually narrow here this year, with nearly all of the wines falling between 12.25 and 13.5 percent. But those Federspiel bottlings I tasted (and that was most of them) displayed the levity appropriate to that category. Especially in this vintage, then, the Domäne Wachau offers oenophiles a rare and delightfully delicious (not to mention unusually affordable) opportunity to compare the characteristics conveyed by some of the Wachau’s finest sites without having to do so at Smaragd level. “Now that our improvements in the vineyards are having their effect,” noted Frischengruber, “more sites than ever are meriting single-vineyard bottlings.” He thinks Riesling was advantaged in 2015 by its superior ability to withstand drought and heat – though my own impressions of his collection are ambiguous in that respect – and he emphasizes that the water available for irrigation was at best barely sufficient this year to alleviate outright midsummer shutdown. Delayed bottling continues to be a trend at this address, so most of the single-site Smaragde were still in tank or cask when I last tasted them in June, and weren’t due for bottling until August or September 2016. (For details concerning this cooperative’s vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2015 Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese Kellerberg
Color: Sweet White

Score: 90.5

Drinking window: 2017 - 2035

Tasting notes: The estate’s Smaragd bottlings from Kellerberg already seemed to point (albeit unflatteringly) to a botrytis presence, and nobly rotten material was painstakingly picked out for this T.B.A., which wasn’t due to be bottled until late 2016. A dusty, dried mushroom overlay on the nose gives way to intimations of apple jelly, honey, salted caramel and candied lemon that then dominate on an oily, creamy, viscous, extremely sweet palate. Fortunately, a bit of lemony tang emerges on the lusciously lingering finish to supply some pushback, while a lick of salt serves for saliva-inducement. I’m a bit worried by the overtly fungal aspect to the nose, but that may recede or fully integrate with time. Certainly this will be a long keeper, whether or not it ever becomes profound.

Producer Commentary:
A clear indication of how effective the Domäne Wachau’s recent viticultural regimen has been is that even Grüner Veltliner Federspiel from top sites did not need to be harvested in 2015 until early October, albeit then in considerable haste. With picking for Smaragd having been delayed until the last third of that month, explained cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber, it became necessary to cull a certain accumulation of botrytis. His crew manifestly mastered that task. The best wines of this impressive collection share delightful freshness, energy and clarity, traits not to be taken for granted in 2015, and this is no doubt in part due to the same restraint in de-leafing, hedging and crop-thinning as well as the retention of ground-cooling cover crops that helped stave off prematurely high must weights. Possibly, too, a wine cooperative, drawing as it does on many small growers even within any given site, gained from lot diversity and blending options in a year when ripeness tended toward extreme homogeneity. The difference in finished alcohol between Federspiel and Smaragd bottlings is unusually narrow here this year, with nearly all of the wines falling between 12.25 and 13.5 percent. But those Federspiel bottlings I tasted (and that was most of them) displayed the levity appropriate to that category. Especially in this vintage, then, the Domäne Wachau offers oenophiles a rare and delightfully delicious (not to mention unusually affordable) opportunity to compare the characteristics conveyed by some of the Wachau’s finest sites without having to do so at Smaragd level. “Now that our improvements in the vineyards are having their effect,” noted Frischengruber, “more sites than ever are meriting single-vineyard bottlings.” He thinks Riesling was advantaged in 2015 by its superior ability to withstand drought and heat – though my own impressions of his collection are ambiguous in that respect – and he emphasizes that the water available for irrigation was at best barely sufficient this year to alleviate outright midsummer shutdown. Delayed bottling continues to be a trend at this address, so most of the single-site Smaragde were still in tank or cask when I last tasted them in June, and weren’t due for bottling until August or September 2016. (For details concerning this cooperative’s vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2016 Neuburger Terrassen Spitz
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2023

Tasting notes: As the casks in which this old-vines bottling is raised have become older, the sense of woodiness that it at one time harbored has happily dissipated. The typical white asparagus aromas and flavors, textural polish and understated florality typical of this Wachau autochthone can be easily disrupted. But here they are on admirable display, with a long, juicy finish transparent to iris root, ginseng and subtle but mouthwatering marine salinity. The label indicates 12.5% alcohol, but there is a considerable sense of buoyancy that beautifully complements the wine’s creaminess. If more consumers inside or outside Austria were treated to Neuburger’s distinctive charms, the versatile wines crafted from it would, I feel sure, gain a devoted fan club - which would also help ensure the grape’s survival. (For further details on this unusual bottling, consult my review of its vintage 2013 installment.)

Producer Commentary:
This long exemplary and technically increasingly sophisticated co-op, heavily vested in far-flung vineyards including along the Spitzer Graben (which represents nearly half its total holdings) and in other vulnerable sectors, attempted massive action in an effort to spare vines from the three frosty late April days of 2016. Smudge pots, burning straw, sprinklers and a hovering helicopter all had a go at it. But losses were severe in several sectors and in Spitzer Graben were close to 90%. Director Roman Horvath observed that overall, Grüner Veltliner represented the salvation of the vintage, quantitatively speaking, as losses in Riesling, Neuburger, Pinot Blanc and Muskateller were close to half compared with an average year. And despite its reduced size, this vintage’s Grüner Veltliner crop yielded a generous contingent of bottlings, including – as befits the vintage’s combination of long hang time with modest must weights – no fewer than half a dozen vineyard-designated Federspiele, of which I was unfortunately only able to taste two. (Of five vineyard-designated Riesling Federspiel bottlings, I tasted four.) Picking began on September 22, but there were regular delays due to sporadic rain, and despite the small crop size, harvest was not completed until mid-November. Results confirm the high standards of this establishment. (For details concerning its vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2015 Neuburger Terrassen Spitz
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2022

Tasting notes: Even in the first half of October, when this was picked, a certain amount of botrytis had to be culled, but excessive finished alcohol, opacity or roughness have been avoided. A varietally typical presence of nutty, juicy, just-crisp white asparagus is augmented by fresh apple and garlanded with grasses and clover. Varietally typical, too, is this wine’s satiny texture, which, however, does not preclude cut and refreshment on a long finish that is also strikingly tinged with iodine and saliva-liberating salinity. The stimulatingly piquant consequences of significant skin contact help compensate for this grape’s inherently low acidity. (For further details on this unusual bottling, consult my review of its vintage 2013 installment.)

Producer Commentary:
A clear indication of how effective the Domäne Wachau’s recent viticultural regimen has been is that even Grüner Veltliner Federspiel from top sites did not need to be harvested in 2015 until early October, albeit then in considerable haste. With picking for Smaragd having been delayed until the last third of that month, explained cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber, it became necessary to cull a certain accumulation of botrytis. His crew manifestly mastered that task. The best wines of this impressive collection share delightful freshness, energy and clarity, traits not to be taken for granted in 2015, and this is no doubt in part due to the same restraint in de-leafing, hedging and crop-thinning as well as the retention of ground-cooling cover crops that helped stave off prematurely high must weights. Possibly, too, a wine cooperative, drawing as it does on many small growers even within any given site, gained from lot diversity and blending options in a year when ripeness tended toward extreme homogeneity. The difference in finished alcohol between Federspiel and Smaragd bottlings is unusually narrow here this year, with nearly all of the wines falling between 12.25 and 13.5 percent. But those Federspiel bottlings I tasted (and that was most of them) displayed the levity appropriate to that category. Especially in this vintage, then, the Domäne Wachau offers oenophiles a rare and delightfully delicious (not to mention unusually affordable) opportunity to compare the characteristics conveyed by some of the Wachau’s finest sites without having to do so at Smaragd level. “Now that our improvements in the vineyards are having their effect,” noted Frischengruber, “more sites than ever are meriting single-vineyard bottlings.” He thinks Riesling was advantaged in 2015 by its superior ability to withstand drought and heat – though my own impressions of his collection are ambiguous in that respect – and he emphasizes that the water available for irrigation was at best barely sufficient this year to alleviate outright midsummer shutdown. Delayed bottling continues to be a trend at this address, so most of the single-site Smaragde were still in tank or cask when I last tasted them in June, and weren’t due for bottling until August or September 2016. (For details concerning this cooperative’s vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2014 Neuburger Terrassen Spitz
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2022

Tasting notes: This year’s installment of a wine about which I wrote more extensively in its 2013 rendition is unusually high in acidity and low in alcohol for Neuburger, but turns those traits into virtues, evoking a lemon-tinged, crunchy yet succulent lettuce and white asparagus salad. There is a good sense of stuffing and extract here typical for the cépage but allied to clarity, levity and refreshment, while a streak of salinity gets the mouth watering. Audition this at table over the next several years and you will be amazed at its versatility.

Producer Commentary:
From an already ungenerous 2014 crop, this illustrious co-op restricted the volume it bottled under the Domäne Wachau label to little more than half of a normal year’s production. The resulting wines eloquently testify to the stringent standards that have long prevailed here, but even measured against those standards, not to mention the challenges of this vintage, the 2014s here represent an amazing achievement and reveal this co-op at the top of their game. Intriguingly, many of the wines I tasted from tank or cask in June 2015 were even clearer and more expressive when re-tasted in September, only a month or so after bottling. In keeping with very modest prevailing must weights as well as the vivacious character of 2014 raw materials, fewer Smaragd bottlings than usual were issued, but it is these that truly excel, the Rieslings quite remarkably so given what I have come to expect from 2014. As usual (despite my luxury of two tasting sessions) I did not audition quite all of this establishment’s single-vineyard Riesling and Grüner Veltliner offerings of the vintage, and sampled only a few of their numerous bottlings from other grape varieties. Incidentally, the latest in a series of Amphora-raised Rieslings that goes back to at least 2010 was among just three 2014s (all Rieslings, none vineyard-specific) that did not convince me, its prominent phenolics linked to a rather drying back-end.
2013 Neuburger Terrassen Spitz
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2022

Tasting notes: I delighted in the Domäne Wachau championing this traditional Wachau variety of which so many of their members retain acreage, but had misgivings about the resinous characteristics that emerged from raising it in relatively new wood. Thankfully, the 2,000+-liter casks being used for this project are becoming more neutral from repeated use and we now have a wine that displays the natural creaminess combined with juicy evocations of fresh white asparagus that singularly characterize Neuburger. Hints of raw almond and lanolin add interest and a pinch of salt provides saliva inducement to a finish that has to my surprise smoothed out almost caressingly over the first year in bottle while continuing to offer consummate refreshment.

Producer Commentary:
Director Roman Horvath and cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber adeptly manage this huge and prestigious co-op; indeed, their work reveals that that description is no oxymoron. We’ve been here before, though, since the exceptional potential that could be drawn from the vast acreage and nearly 300 members formerly collectively known as the Freie Weingärtner Wachau was illustriously demonstrated under the regime of a then very young cellarmaster, Fritz Miesbauer (now running the Weingut Stadt Krems) in tandem with director Willi Klinger (now head of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board) and later Rainer Wess (now of the eponymous and impressive estate). There were a few disruptive years and weak vintages in between, but with those exceptions this co-operative has been a source of outstanding Wachau value during an era when some might argue that those two words, too, threatened to become oxymoronic.

Certain lots of 2013 Riesling Federspiel were lightly de-acidified (while remaining unusually high in acidity for their genre) but in general Frischengruber felt that the exceptionally high dry extract accumulated in this overall well-watered growing season served, or will ultimately serve, as adequate buffering. Horvath and Frischengruber began in 2013 to permit their Smaragd bottlings 10 or 11 months of élevage and the wisdom of that approach was suggested each time I tasted post-bottling. I never get around to sampling quite all of the many Riesling and Grüner Veltliner bottlings that issue from the Domäne, much less all of their wide-ranging work with diverse alternative grape varieties and their numerous experimental but commercial batches, including wines raised in newer wood or amphora.
2015 Grüner Veltliner v.d.n.
Color: Sweet White

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2030

Tasting notes: This represents the second consecutive “Veltliner Doux Naturel” fortified with the estate’s own Grüner Veltliner brandy and finished at 16.5 percent alcohol. Almost mawkishly confectionary, it nonetheless offers an impressive, high-toned aromatic display suggesting distillate of mint and eucalyptus. A chocolate-like bitterness on the oily, viscous palate goes some way toward pushing back against the wine’s sheer sweetness. Perhaps with many years in bottle this will not only gain complexity but also back off in sweetness. I really have no idea, though, except to say that it certainly won’t spoil in any hurry. Some Austrian journalists (most notably, my colleagues at Vinaria) were crazy about this, ensuring that it sold out in short order. (I forgot to ask why there is a bulldog on the label.)

Producer Commentary:
A clear indication of how effective the Domäne Wachau’s recent viticultural regimen has been is that even Grüner Veltliner Federspiel from top sites did not need to be harvested in 2015 until early October, albeit then in considerable haste. With picking for Smaragd having been delayed until the last third of that month, explained cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber, it became necessary to cull a certain accumulation of botrytis. His crew manifestly mastered that task. The best wines of this impressive collection share delightful freshness, energy and clarity, traits not to be taken for granted in 2015, and this is no doubt in part due to the same restraint in de-leafing, hedging and crop-thinning as well as the retention of ground-cooling cover crops that helped stave off prematurely high must weights. Possibly, too, a wine cooperative, drawing as it does on many small growers even within any given site, gained from lot diversity and blending options in a year when ripeness tended toward extreme homogeneity. The difference in finished alcohol between Federspiel and Smaragd bottlings is unusually narrow here this year, with nearly all of the wines falling between 12.25 and 13.5 percent. But those Federspiel bottlings I tasted (and that was most of them) displayed the levity appropriate to that category. Especially in this vintage, then, the Domäne Wachau offers oenophiles a rare and delightfully delicious (not to mention unusually affordable) opportunity to compare the characteristics conveyed by some of the Wachau’s finest sites without having to do so at Smaragd level. “Now that our improvements in the vineyards are having their effect,” noted Frischengruber, “more sites than ever are meriting single-vineyard bottlings.” He thinks Riesling was advantaged in 2015 by its superior ability to withstand drought and heat – though my own impressions of his collection are ambiguous in that respect – and he emphasizes that the water available for irrigation was at best barely sufficient this year to alleviate outright midsummer shutdown. Delayed bottling continues to be a trend at this address, so most of the single-site Smaragde were still in tank or cask when I last tasted them in June, and weren’t due for bottling until August or September 2016. (For details concerning this cooperative’s vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2012 Riesling Kellerberg Trockenbeerenauslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Golden yellow. Opulent aromas of cling peach, sage and nut oils over a rich bed of brown spice botrytis. Unctuous muskmelon fruit communicates a velvety texture and subtle concentration thanks to the muted but omnipresent acidity. Although a touch soft, this noble late-harvest wine finishes with the distinction of an excellent vintage.

Producer Commentary:
A number of the leading figures in the Austrian wine industry have cut their teeth here, including Willi Klinger, Fritz Miesbauer and Rainer Wess. Today it is Roman Horvath and his winemaker Heinz Frischengruber who are at the helm. There is no question that this is one of the finest co-operatives in Europe, but I still find it rather surprising that they were able to change their name from Freie Weingartner to Domane Wachau without a whisper of protest. Nonetheless, if all of the estates here consistently bottled this level of quality, the Wachau would soon be a household word in remote parts of the world. (www.domaene-wachau.at) Also recommended: 2012 Muskateller Terrassen (85), 2012 Riesling Federspiel Terrassen (86), 2012 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen (85), 2012 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen (87), 2012 Roter Traminer Reserve Setzberg (87).
2003 Riesling Federspiel Singerriedel
Color: White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: A single-vineyard Federspiel from one of the Wachau's top sites is an exception at this winery, and a measure of the degree to which heat and drought inhibited maturation in some of the region's warmest stony terraces. The nose brings apricot kernel and apple pit bitterness to bear on citrus and flowers. The palate is sleek and refreshing yet pleasantly silky and oily in feel, tasting of nut oils and apricot pit. The finish is fascinating in its subtle bitterness and salty minerality. 1 star.

Producer Commentary:
The illustrious Freie Weingartner Wachau now bottles most of their wines, including those exported to the U. S. , under the name "Domane Wachau. "Under the direction of Roland Grossinger and Hannes Donabaum, the team here has again produced a collection studded with excellent values, although certain wines disappointed-including, surprisingly, a Smaragd Achleiten which, while aromatically clear and pure, failed to project much personality. The 2003 harvest began in late August, the earliest in this cooperative's history, in an effort to ensure a stock of light and refreshing Steinfeder wines. But riesling, relates Grossinger, lagged far behind gruner veltliner in maturation, and in rare instances was still stuck at Steinfeder level in October, even as the first gruner veltliner at Smaragd level was being harvested. At most two or three hours in the press represented more than enough skin contact this year, Grossinger said. (Vin Divino, Chicago, IL) Also recommended: 2003 Gelber Muskateller Steinfeder (under the Freie Weingartner label), 2003 Riesling Steinfeder Terrassen, 2003 Gruner Veltliner Alte Reben, 2003 Riesling/Muskateller Clarissima.
2013 Riesling Federspiel Tausendeimerberg
Color: White

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2020

Tasting notes: Pink grapefruit, passion fruit and lime zest on the appealing nose. Juicy white peach and lychee make for a refreshing palate impression. Pleasingly light and easy to drink, this finely chiseled Riesling offers immediate pleasure.

Producer Commentary:
Roman Horvath and Heinz Frischengruber have now been at the helm of this co-operative for a full decade. With 450 hectares of vineyards and annual production of three million bottles a year, it represents about one-third of the entire region and makes a wide number of wines that merit serious attention at very attractive prices.

With over a hundred different soil structures, the co-op also has the full palette of potential flavor profiles to offer, but the sheer number of different sites is sometimes difficult to manage. In the steepest sites, for example, a member farmer may spend 1,200 hours in a single hectare of vines from pruning until harvest. In the flatter blocks near the Danube, that figure can fall to as little as 150.

When I asked him about the growing interest in organic wines, Horvath indicated that the Domäne Wachau has implemented sustainable viticulture, but that going organic “would be difficult because the Wachau is monoculture.” While I would like to see the Smaragds with a touch more nerve, Horvath is more worried about physiological ripeness. “We are not worried about the alcohol levels going too high,” he added.
2014 Roter Traminer Setzberg Reserve
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2022

Tasting notes: Rose petal, peony, celery seed, musk and peat moss mingle in a decadently perfumed nose, then go on to accent lichee, cantaloupe and passion fruit on a palate whose mouthwatering salinity and sheer juiciness are surprising for a Traminer. There is still some of the oiliness one expects from wines of this grape family, but at just 13% alcohol this is also less heavy than usual. Cépage-typical bitter notes are prominent but decently integrated into a lingering finish of very subtle sweetness. This should be fascinating to follow as well as to employ at table.

Producer Commentary:
From an already ungenerous 2014 crop, this illustrious co-op restricted the volume it bottled under the Domäne Wachau label to little more than half of a normal year’s production. The resulting wines eloquently testify to the stringent standards that have long prevailed here, but even measured against those standards, not to mention the challenges of this vintage, the 2014s here represent an amazing achievement and reveal this co-op at the top of their game. Intriguingly, many of the wines I tasted from tank or cask in June 2015 were even clearer and more expressive when re-tasted in September, only a month or so after bottling. In keeping with very modest prevailing must weights as well as the vivacious character of 2014 raw materials, fewer Smaragd bottlings than usual were issued, but it is these that truly excel, the Rieslings quite remarkably so given what I have come to expect from 2014. As usual (despite my luxury of two tasting sessions) I did not audition quite all of this establishment’s single-vineyard Riesling and Grüner Veltliner offerings of the vintage, and sampled only a few of their numerous bottlings from other grape varieties. Incidentally, the latest in a series of Amphora-raised Rieslings that goes back to at least 2010 was among just three 2014s (all Rieslings, none vineyard-specific) that did not convince me, its prominent phenolics linked to a rather drying back-end.
2013 Roter Traminer Setzberg Reserve
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2022

Tasting notes: Strong bacon and pork rind aromas mingle with those of lichee and roasted rutabaga seasoned with black pepper and caraway. The voluminous, glossy palate impression is correspondingly meaty, smoky, incisive and saline, adding a cooling hint of mint, and leading to a mouthwateringly savory as well as invigorating (and thankfully heat-free) finish. The traditional red variant of Traminer (well-established in several German-speaking growing regions long before the word “Gewürztraminer” even came into usage) tends toward the carnal side of that grape family rather than the perfumed let alone lichee- or tropical-fruited, so this bottling is simply an extreme example of that tendency. The wine is “reserve” because while dry-tasting, its acidity is significantly lower in grams per liter than its residual sugar and forcing it to ferment further and qualify for Smaragd would probably have been a high-alcohol mistake.

Producer Commentary:
Director Roman Horvath and cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber adeptly manage this huge and prestigious co-op; indeed, their work reveals that that description is no oxymoron. We’ve been here before, though, since the exceptional potential that could be drawn from the vast acreage and nearly 300 members formerly collectively known as the Freie Weingärtner Wachau was illustriously demonstrated under the regime of a then very young cellarmaster, Fritz Miesbauer (now running the Weingut Stadt Krems) in tandem with director Willi Klinger (now head of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board) and later Rainer Wess (now of the eponymous and impressive estate). There were a few disruptive years and weak vintages in between, but with those exceptions this co-operative has been a source of outstanding Wachau value during an era when some might argue that those two words, too, threatened to become oxymoronic.

Certain lots of 2013 Riesling Federspiel were lightly de-acidified (while remaining unusually high in acidity for their genre) but in general Frischengruber felt that the exceptionally high dry extract accumulated in this overall well-watered growing season served, or will ultimately serve, as adequate buffering. Horvath and Frischengruber began in 2013 to permit their Smaragd bottlings 10 or 11 months of élevage and the wisdom of that approach was suggested each time I tasted post-bottling. I never get around to sampling quite all of the many Riesling and Grüner Veltliner bottlings that issue from the Domäne, much less all of their wide-ranging work with diverse alternative grape varieties and their numerous experimental but commercial batches, including wines raised in newer wood or amphora.
2015 Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel
Color: White

Score: 91.5

Drinking window: 2017 - 2024

Tasting notes: Predictably dominated on the nose by fresh ripe apricot and lime, this incorporates delightfully complementary maritime salinity and alkalinity. Firm in feel and uncompromisingly dry as well as piquantly tinged by apricot kernel, it nonetheless escapes any sense of austerity thanks to its generous, bright primary juiciness of lime and lemon. The refreshing, impressively penetrating, energetic finish is transparent to diverse mineral nuances. 

Producer Commentary:
A clear indication of how effective the Domäne Wachau’s recent viticultural regimen has been is that even Grüner Veltliner Federspiel from top sites did not need to be harvested in 2015 until early October, albeit then in considerable haste. With picking for Smaragd having been delayed until the last third of that month, explained cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber, it became necessary to cull a certain accumulation of botrytis. His crew manifestly mastered that task. The best wines of this impressive collection share delightful freshness, energy and clarity, traits not to be taken for granted in 2015, and this is no doubt in part due to the same restraint in de-leafing, hedging and crop-thinning as well as the retention of ground-cooling cover crops that helped stave off prematurely high must weights. Possibly, too, a wine cooperative, drawing as it does on many small growers even within any given site, gained from lot diversity and blending options in a year when ripeness tended toward extreme homogeneity. The difference in finished alcohol between Federspiel and Smaragd bottlings is unusually narrow here this year, with nearly all of the wines falling between 12.25 and 13.5 percent. But those Federspiel bottlings I tasted (and that was most of them) displayed the levity appropriate to that category. Especially in this vintage, then, the Domäne Wachau offers oenophiles a rare and delightfully delicious (not to mention unusually affordable) opportunity to compare the characteristics conveyed by some of the Wachau’s finest sites without having to do so at Smaragd level. “Now that our improvements in the vineyards are having their effect,” noted Frischengruber, “more sites than ever are meriting single-vineyard bottlings.” He thinks Riesling was advantaged in 2015 by its superior ability to withstand drought and heat – though my own impressions of his collection are ambiguous in that respect – and he emphasizes that the water available for irrigation was at best barely sufficient this year to alleviate outright midsummer shutdown. Delayed bottling continues to be a trend at this address, so most of the single-site Smaragde were still in tank or cask when I last tasted them in June, and weren’t due for bottling until August or September 2016. (For details concerning this cooperative’s vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2002 Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel
Color: White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Peach and apricot pit aromas. Intense apricot fruit laced with salty mineral notes and faintly bitter low-toned coffee on the palate. Imposingly rich, although exhibiting a touch of heat and phenolic roughness in the finish. 1 star.

Producer Commentary:
This consistently quality-conscious co-operative, formerly called Freie Weingartner Wachau, has parted ways with its young former winemaker/directors, Fritz Miesbauer and Rainer Wess.Long-time cellarmaster Hannes Donabaum will step back into the role of winemaker.To what extent, if any, the decidedly mixed results here this year (lack of clarity, astringency, and alcoholic heat being frequent culprits) should be traced to these changes in personnel is as yet difficult to assess.Certainly 2002 was a vintage whose inherent challenges could foil any co-op consisting of more than 600 small farmers.In addition, certain of the technologically sophisticated controls in the cellar here were rendered at least temporarily inoperative by the flood.All this being said, the several best wines here this year still represent stunning values.(Vin Divino, Chicago, IL) Also recommended: 2002 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen, 2002 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten.
2013 Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2020

Tasting notes: A Jurançon- or Chenin-like aromatic amalgam of butcher shop, white truffle, grapefruit and lime rinds plus musky faded flowers capture the attention, then segue into more familiar green herb-tinged apricot that dominates on the palate. This received eight or ten hours of skin contact--about twice the norm at this address for Smaragd--and that seems to have, as intended, buffered acidity and conveyed cut and energy without significant sacrifice in clarity. The sole drawback is considerable pit bitterness to accompany the tingling of citrus rind and richness of apricot in this Riesling’s gripping finish. This will be fascinating stuff to follow, if watchfully. The hint of truffle made me think “botrytis,” but Frischengruber says there was very little. “In fact,” he added, “I don’t think we’ve ever harvested more perfect Riesling grapes than these.” 

Producer Commentary:
Director Roman Horvath and cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber adeptly manage this huge and prestigious co-op; indeed, their work reveals that that description is no oxymoron. We’ve been here before, though, since the exceptional potential that could be drawn from the vast acreage and nearly 300 members formerly collectively known as the Freie Weingärtner Wachau was illustriously demonstrated under the regime of a then very young cellarmaster, Fritz Miesbauer (now running the Weingut Stadt Krems) in tandem with director Willi Klinger (now head of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board) and later Rainer Wess (now of the eponymous and impressive estate). There were a few disruptive years and weak vintages in between, but with those exceptions this co-operative has been a source of outstanding Wachau value during an era when some might argue that those two words, too, threatened to become oxymoronic.

Certain lots of 2013 Riesling Federspiel were lightly de-acidified (while remaining unusually high in acidity for their genre) but in general Frischengruber felt that the exceptionally high dry extract accumulated in this overall well-watered growing season served, or will ultimately serve, as adequate buffering. Horvath and Frischengruber began in 2013 to permit their Smaragd bottlings 10 or 11 months of élevage and the wisdom of that approach was suggested each time I tasted post-bottling. I never get around to sampling quite all of the many Riesling and Grüner Veltliner bottlings that issue from the Domäne, much less all of their wide-ranging work with diverse alternative grape varieties and their numerous experimental but commercial batches, including wines raised in newer wood or amphora.
2014 Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2022

Tasting notes: Apricot, lime and grapefruit strongly marked by their pits and pips make for a bright and stimulatingly piquant show. Lean yet subtly oily, palpably extract-rich and suffused with saliva-inducing salinity, this displays striking clarity and lift. It finishes with rapier penetration and gripping length, ultimately leaving behind fascinating hints of apricot kernel, crushed stone and wood ash.

Producer Commentary:
From an already ungenerous 2014 crop, this illustrious co-op restricted the volume it bottled under the Domäne Wachau label to little more than half of a normal year’s production. The resulting wines eloquently testify to the stringent standards that have long prevailed here, but even measured against those standards, not to mention the challenges of this vintage, the 2014s here represent an amazing achievement and reveal this co-op at the top of their game. Intriguingly, many of the wines I tasted from tank or cask in June 2015 were even clearer and more expressive when re-tasted in September, only a month or so after bottling. In keeping with very modest prevailing must weights as well as the vivacious character of 2014 raw materials, fewer Smaragd bottlings than usual were issued, but it is these that truly excel, the Rieslings quite remarkably so given what I have come to expect from 2014. As usual (despite my luxury of two tasting sessions) I did not audition quite all of this establishment’s single-vineyard Riesling and Grüner Veltliner offerings of the vintage, and sampled only a few of their numerous bottlings from other grape varieties. Incidentally, the latest in a series of Amphora-raised Rieslings that goes back to at least 2010 was among just three 2014s (all Rieslings, none vineyard-specific) that did not convince me, its prominent phenolics linked to a rather drying back-end.
2013 Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2023

Tasting notes: Smoky nose hints at apricot, almond and oyster shell. Rich and concentrated but nonetheless refreshing, offering creamy flavors of white peach and hyacinth, the 2013 Singerriedel is at once dense and cool, with understated acidity accentuating the mineral edge on the finish. 

Producer Commentary:
Roman Horvath and Heinz Frischengruber have now been at the helm of this co-operative for a full decade. With 450 hectares of vineyards and annual production of three million bottles a year, it represents about one-third of the entire region and makes a wide number of wines that merit serious attention at very attractive prices.

With over a hundred different soil structures, the co-op also has the full palette of potential flavor profiles to offer, but the sheer number of different sites is sometimes difficult to manage. In the steepest sites, for example, a member farmer may spend 1,200 hours in a single hectare of vines from pruning until harvest. In the flatter blocks near the Danube, that figure can fall to as little as 150.

When I asked him about the growing interest in organic wines, Horvath indicated that the Domäne Wachau has implemented sustainable viticulture, but that going organic “would be difficult because the Wachau is monoculture.” While I would like to see the Smaragds with a touch more nerve, Horvath is more worried about physiological ripeness. “We are not worried about the alcohol levels going too high,” he added.
2016 Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2023

Tasting notes: Site-typical ripe apricot is mingled with lime and fresh ginger on the nose and the generously juicy, stimulatingly piquant palate of a bottling that finishes stone-tinged but surprisingly softly and with marginally less clarity or animation than what came before had led me to anticipate. It’s nonetheless lovely stuff.

Producer Commentary:
This long exemplary and technically increasingly sophisticated co-op, heavily vested in far-flung vineyards including along the Spitzer Graben (which represents nearly half its total holdings) and in other vulnerable sectors, attempted massive action in an effort to spare vines from the three frosty late April days of 2016. Smudge pots, burning straw, sprinklers and a hovering helicopter all had a go at it. But losses were severe in several sectors and in Spitzer Graben were close to 90%. Director Roman Horvath observed that overall, Grüner Veltliner represented the salvation of the vintage, quantitatively speaking, as losses in Riesling, Neuburger, Pinot Blanc and Muskateller were close to half compared with an average year. And despite its reduced size, this vintage’s Grüner Veltliner crop yielded a generous contingent of bottlings, including – as befits the vintage’s combination of long hang time with modest must weights – no fewer than half a dozen vineyard-designated Federspiele, of which I was unfortunately only able to taste two. (Of five vineyard-designated Riesling Federspiel bottlings, I tasted four.) Picking began on September 22, but there were regular delays due to sporadic rain, and despite the small crop size, harvest was not completed until mid-November. Results confirm the high standards of this establishment. (For details concerning its vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2013 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Pichlpoint
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2020

Tasting notes: Esterous in the nose and voluminous (at around 14% alcohol) on the polished palate, this displays surprisingly prominent fruit pip bitterness. Scents and flavors of lima bean and grapefruit dominate, but a sense of richness is emerging with time in bottle, and there is certainly impressive sheer length.

Producer Commentary:
Director Roman Horvath and cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber adeptly manage this huge and prestigious co-op; indeed, their work reveals that that description is no oxymoron. We’ve been here before, though, since the exceptional potential that could be drawn from the vast acreage and nearly 300 members formerly collectively known as the Freie Weingärtner Wachau was illustriously demonstrated under the regime of a then very young cellarmaster, Fritz Miesbauer (now running the Weingut Stadt Krems) in tandem with director Willi Klinger (now head of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board) and later Rainer Wess (now of the eponymous and impressive estate). There were a few disruptive years and weak vintages in between, but with those exceptions this co-operative has been a source of outstanding Wachau value during an era when some might argue that those two words, too, threatened to become oxymoronic.

Certain lots of 2013 Riesling Federspiel were lightly de-acidified (while remaining unusually high in acidity for their genre) but in general Frischengruber felt that the exceptionally high dry extract accumulated in this overall well-watered growing season served, or will ultimately serve, as adequate buffering. Horvath and Frischengruber began in 2013 to permit their Smaragd bottlings 10 or 11 months of élevage and the wisdom of that approach was suggested each time I tasted post-bottling. I never get around to sampling quite all of the many Riesling and Grüner Veltliner bottlings that issue from the Domäne, much less all of their wide-ranging work with diverse alternative grape varieties and their numerous experimental but commercial batches, including wines raised in newer wood or amphora.
2016 Riesling Smaragd Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2021

Tasting notes: Lime, apricot and cassis are laced with mint and tinged with wood smoke on the nose and the glycerol-rich but admirably juicy palate. At 13% alcohol, this weighs in a full percentage point above its Federspiel counterpart, but there is neither heaviness nor heat to the seriously sustained, smoke- and stone-tinged finish.

Producer Commentary:
This long exemplary and technically increasingly sophisticated co-op, heavily vested in far-flung vineyards including along the Spitzer Graben (which represents nearly half its total holdings) and in other vulnerable sectors, attempted massive action in an effort to spare vines from the three frosty late April days of 2016. Smudge pots, burning straw, sprinklers and a hovering helicopter all had a go at it. But losses were severe in several sectors and in Spitzer Graben were close to 90%. Director Roman Horvath observed that overall, Grüner Veltliner represented the salvation of the vintage, quantitatively speaking, as losses in Riesling, Neuburger, Pinot Blanc and Muskateller were close to half compared with an average year. And despite its reduced size, this vintage’s Grüner Veltliner crop yielded a generous contingent of bottlings, including – as befits the vintage’s combination of long hang time with modest must weights – no fewer than half a dozen vineyard-designated Federspiele, of which I was unfortunately only able to taste two. (Of five vineyard-designated Riesling Federspiel bottlings, I tasted four.) Picking began on September 22, but there were regular delays due to sporadic rain, and despite the small crop size, harvest was not completed until mid-November. Results confirm the high standards of this establishment. (For details concerning its vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2013 Riesling Smaragd Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2020

Tasting notes: Fresh apple, sloe berry and blackcurrant are signaled on the nose, shadowed by their high-toned distilled counterparts, then migrate to a glossy and expansive palate, their tart and bitter aspects offering counterpoint. Sufficient primary juiciness and berry tang come through to render the impressively sustained finish both invigorating and refreshing, while hints of stone and iodine add intrigue.

Producer Commentary:
Director Roman Horvath and cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber adeptly manage this huge and prestigious co-op; indeed, their work reveals that that description is no oxymoron. We’ve been here before, though, since the exceptional potential that could be drawn from the vast acreage and nearly 300 members formerly collectively known as the Freie Weingärtner Wachau was illustriously demonstrated under the regime of a then very young cellarmaster, Fritz Miesbauer (now running the Weingut Stadt Krems) in tandem with director Willi Klinger (now head of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board) and later Rainer Wess (now of the eponymous and impressive estate). There were a few disruptive years and weak vintages in between, but with those exceptions this co-operative has been a source of outstanding Wachau value during an era when some might argue that those two words, too, threatened to become oxymoronic.

Certain lots of 2013 Riesling Federspiel were lightly de-acidified (while remaining unusually high in acidity for their genre) but in general Frischengruber felt that the exceptionally high dry extract accumulated in this overall well-watered growing season served, or will ultimately serve, as adequate buffering. Horvath and Frischengruber began in 2013 to permit their Smaragd bottlings 10 or 11 months of élevage and the wisdom of that approach was suggested each time I tasted post-bottling. I never get around to sampling quite all of the many Riesling and Grüner Veltliner bottlings that issue from the Domäne, much less all of their wide-ranging work with diverse alternative grape varieties and their numerous experimental but commercial batches, including wines raised in newer wood or amphora.
2007 Riesling Smaragd Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Pale green-yellow. Intense peach and passion fruit with lime zest on the nose. Juicy vineyard peach and a touch of lichee are pierced by a racy acid structure. Finishes fruity and long. This harmonious wine already offers tremendous drinking pleasure.

Producer Commentary:
The Domane Wachau, formerly called the Freie Weingartner Wachau, celebrated its 70th anniversary with one of the most successful years in its history. The Domane Wachau has established itself among the top Austrian wine producers under the management of Roman Horvath and enologist Heinz Frischengruber, and after a strategic repositioning in important international markets like Scandinavia and Great Britain, the cooperative has now set its sights on increased activity in the U.S. market. The 2007 vintage here has received much international recognition for polished and precise wines. The Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten was awarded two trophies at the world's largest independent wine competition, the International Wine Challenge in London: Best International Gruner Veltliner and Best Austrian White. Wines in the Smaragd category may be less voluptuous and concentrated than those of the previous vintage, but they are extremely elegant, with wonderful regional expression.
2014 Grüner Veltliner Axpoint Reserve
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2024

Tasting notes: Yellow split pea laced with fresh lemon and tinged with green herbs delivers a buoyant and brightly refreshing but in no way lean performance, finishing with mouthwateringly salt-tinged and subtly stone-underlain persistence. Why wouldn’t a dry Grüner Veltliner, most of which was not picked until November 17, be labeled as Smaragd? Cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber explains that the small volume from an early picking on this site had been lightly chaptalized, and the two turned out to marry beautifully (at 12.5% finished alcohol).

Producer Commentary:
From an already ungenerous 2014 crop, this illustrious co-op restricted the volume it bottled under the Domäne Wachau label to little more than half of a normal year’s production. The resulting wines eloquently testify to the stringent standards that have long prevailed here, but even measured against those standards, not to mention the challenges of this vintage, the 2014s here represent an amazing achievement and reveal this co-op at the top of their game. Intriguingly, many of the wines I tasted from tank or cask in June 2015 were even clearer and more expressive when re-tasted in September, only a month or so after bottling. In keeping with very modest prevailing must weights as well as the vivacious character of 2014 raw materials, fewer Smaragd bottlings than usual were issued, but it is these that truly excel, the Rieslings quite remarkably so given what I have come to expect from 2014. As usual (despite my luxury of two tasting sessions) I did not audition quite all of this establishment’s single-vineyard Riesling and Grüner Veltliner offerings of the vintage, and sampled only a few of their numerous bottlings from other grape varieties. Incidentally, the latest in a series of Amphora-raised Rieslings that goes back to at least 2010 was among just three 2014s (all Rieslings, none vineyard-specific) that did not convince me, its prominent phenolics linked to a rather drying back-end.
2015 Riesling Smaragd Loibenberg
Color: White

Score: 91.5

Drinking window: 2017 - 2022

Tasting notes: Given the site and vintage in question, it isn’t surprising that this bottling is high-toned and esterous, redolent of ripe white peach, which then lusciously informs an expansive, subtly oily palate. But generous measures of fresh lime and white pepper serve to guarantee juicy refreshment and invigoration that can scarcely be taken for granted in a 2015, especially one from the Loibenberg. As this opens to the air, a surprising and delightful floral element emerges. The finish is vibrantly sustained.

Producer Commentary:
A clear indication of how effective the Domäne Wachau’s recent viticultural regimen has been is that even Grüner Veltliner Federspiel from top sites did not need to be harvested in 2015 until early October, albeit then in considerable haste. With picking for Smaragd having been delayed until the last third of that month, explained cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber, it became necessary to cull a certain accumulation of botrytis. His crew manifestly mastered that task. The best wines of this impressive collection share delightful freshness, energy and clarity, traits not to be taken for granted in 2015, and this is no doubt in part due to the same restraint in de-leafing, hedging and crop-thinning as well as the retention of ground-cooling cover crops that helped stave off prematurely high must weights. Possibly, too, a wine cooperative, drawing as it does on many small growers even within any given site, gained from lot diversity and blending options in a year when ripeness tended toward extreme homogeneity. The difference in finished alcohol between Federspiel and Smaragd bottlings is unusually narrow here this year, with nearly all of the wines falling between 12.25 and 13.5 percent. But those Federspiel bottlings I tasted (and that was most of them) displayed the levity appropriate to that category. Especially in this vintage, then, the Domäne Wachau offers oenophiles a rare and delightfully delicious (not to mention unusually affordable) opportunity to compare the characteristics conveyed by some of the Wachau’s finest sites without having to do so at Smaragd level. “Now that our improvements in the vineyards are having their effect,” noted Frischengruber, “more sites than ever are meriting single-vineyard bottlings.” He thinks Riesling was advantaged in 2015 by its superior ability to withstand drought and heat – though my own impressions of his collection are ambiguous in that respect – and he emphasizes that the water available for irrigation was at best barely sufficient this year to alleviate outright midsummer shutdown. Delayed bottling continues to be a trend at this address, so most of the single-site Smaragde were still in tank or cask when I last tasted them in June, and weren’t due for bottling until August or September 2016. (For details concerning this cooperative’s vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2014 Riesling Smaragd Loibenberg
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2020

Tasting notes: Scents of ripe peach mingled with nutmeg and musk oil usher in a palate performance of textural richness and breadth that is still clear and juicy. A soothingly succulent finish lacks the vibrancy or length that characterized this year’s other Domäne Wachau Riesling Smaragd bottlings (of which this was the smallest by volume).

Producer Commentary:
From an already ungenerous 2014 crop, this illustrious co-op restricted the volume it bottled under the Domäne Wachau label to little more than half of a normal year’s production. The resulting wines eloquently testify to the stringent standards that have long prevailed here, but even measured against those standards, not to mention the challenges of this vintage, the 2014s here represent an amazing achievement and reveal this co-op at the top of their game. Intriguingly, many of the wines I tasted from tank or cask in June 2015 were even clearer and more expressive when re-tasted in September, only a month or so after bottling. In keeping with very modest prevailing must weights as well as the vivacious character of 2014 raw materials, fewer Smaragd bottlings than usual were issued, but it is these that truly excel, the Rieslings quite remarkably so given what I have come to expect from 2014. As usual (despite my luxury of two tasting sessions) I did not audition quite all of this establishment’s single-vineyard Riesling and Grüner Veltliner offerings of the vintage, and sampled only a few of their numerous bottlings from other grape varieties. Incidentally, the latest in a series of Amphora-raised Rieslings that goes back to at least 2010 was among just three 2014s (all Rieslings, none vineyard-specific) that did not convince me, its prominent phenolics linked to a rather drying back-end.
2003 Riesling Smaragd Loibenberg
Color: White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Pineapple, lavender, cinnamon and nutmeg in a sweet, ripe nose. Delicate and subtly mineral in the mouth; juicy and refined. Luscious pineapple, brown spices and wet stone in the finish. 1 star.

Producer Commentary:
The illustrious Freie Weingartner Wachau now bottles most of their wines, including those exported to the U. S. , under the name "Domane Wachau. "Under the direction of Roland Grossinger and Hannes Donabaum, the team here has again produced a collection studded with excellent values, although certain wines disappointed-including, surprisingly, a Smaragd Achleiten which, while aromatically clear and pure, failed to project much personality. The 2003 harvest began in late August, the earliest in this cooperative's history, in an effort to ensure a stock of light and refreshing Steinfeder wines. But riesling, relates Grossinger, lagged far behind gruner veltliner in maturation, and in rare instances was still stuck at Steinfeder level in October, even as the first gruner veltliner at Smaragd level was being harvested. At most two or three hours in the press represented more than enough skin contact this year, Grossinger said. (Vin Divino, Chicago, IL) Also recommended: 2003 Gelber Muskateller Steinfeder (under the Freie Weingartner label), 2003 Riesling Steinfeder Terrassen, 2003 Gruner Veltliner Alte Reben, 2003 Riesling/Muskateller Clarissima.
2011 Riesling Smaragd Achleiten
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Classical bouquet of white peach, pine nuts and oyster shell. At once concentrated and refreshingly herbal, with a sweet, smooth flavor of apricot extract lifted by lively acidity. The minerals on the back of the palate carry a touch of the phenolic character so typical of the vintage.

Producer Commentary:
A number of the leading figures in the Austrian wine industry have cut their teeth here, including Willi Klinger, Fritz Miesbauer and Rainer Wess. Today it is Roman Horvath and his winemaker Heinz Frischengruber who are at the helm. There is no question that this is one of the finest co-operatives in Europe, but I still find it rather surprising that they were able to change their name from Freie Weingartner to Domane Wachau without a whisper of protest. Nonetheless, if all of the estates here consistently bottled this level of quality, the Wachau would soon be a household word in remote parts of the world. (www.domaene-wachau.at) Also recommended: 2012 Muskateller Terrassen (85), 2012 Riesling Federspiel Terrassen (86), 2012 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen (85), 2012 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen (87), 2012 Roter Traminer Reserve Setzberg (87).
2013 Riesling Smaragd Achleiten
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2028

Tasting notes: Gentian and violet perfume typical for this site is allied to hints of truffle that suggest botrytis (but no negative influences are evident). The aforementioned elements carry over to a brightly citric and piquantly zesty amalgam of grapefruit, lime and white peach on a firm but glycerol-rich palate. A mouthwateringly mineral, saline, savory suggestion of clam stock lends the vibrantly fruity, downright reverberating finish a compelling drinkability. What a wonderful opportunity this affords to experience one of the Wachau’s great sites at an affordable price! (This wine was rather awkwardly mixed up when I first tasted it some months before bottling, so if you tried it already at any time last year, I would highly recommend revisiting it.) 

Producer Commentary:
Director Roman Horvath and cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber adeptly manage this huge and prestigious co-op; indeed, their work reveals that that description is no oxymoron. We’ve been here before, though, since the exceptional potential that could be drawn from the vast acreage and nearly 300 members formerly collectively known as the Freie Weingärtner Wachau was illustriously demonstrated under the regime of a then very young cellarmaster, Fritz Miesbauer (now running the Weingut Stadt Krems) in tandem with director Willi Klinger (now head of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board) and later Rainer Wess (now of the eponymous and impressive estate). There were a few disruptive years and weak vintages in between, but with those exceptions this co-operative has been a source of outstanding Wachau value during an era when some might argue that those two words, too, threatened to become oxymoronic.

Certain lots of 2013 Riesling Federspiel were lightly de-acidified (while remaining unusually high in acidity for their genre) but in general Frischengruber felt that the exceptionally high dry extract accumulated in this overall well-watered growing season served, or will ultimately serve, as adequate buffering. Horvath and Frischengruber began in 2013 to permit their Smaragd bottlings 10 or 11 months of élevage and the wisdom of that approach was suggested each time I tasted post-bottling. I never get around to sampling quite all of the many Riesling and Grüner Veltliner bottlings that issue from the Domäne, much less all of their wide-ranging work with diverse alternative grape varieties and their numerous experimental but commercial batches, including wines raised in newer wood or amphora.
2002 Riesling Smaragd Achleiten
Color: White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: White peach, flowers and herbs on the nose. A lovely play of fruit, flower and slatey minerality showcases typical Achleiten character on the palate. White peach, grapefruit and a sweet lily-like florality persist superbly, supported by seven grams of residual sugar--thanks to which the alcohol is also more manageable than with some of the 2002s here today. Potential 2 stars.

Producer Commentary:
This consistently quality-conscious co-operative, formerly called Freie Weingartner Wachau, has parted ways with its young former winemaker/directors, Fritz Miesbauer and Rainer Wess.Long-time cellarmaster Hannes Donabaum will step back into the role of winemaker.To what extent, if any, the decidedly mixed results here this year (lack of clarity, astringency, and alcoholic heat being frequent culprits) should be traced to these changes in personnel is as yet difficult to assess.Certainly 2002 was a vintage whose inherent challenges could foil any co-op consisting of more than 600 small farmers.In addition, certain of the technologically sophisticated controls in the cellar here were rendered at least temporarily inoperative by the flood.All this being said, the several best wines here this year still represent stunning values.(Vin Divino, Chicago, IL) Also recommended: 2002 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen, 2002 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten.
2013 Riesling Smaragd Achleiten
Color: White

Score: 90.5

Drinking window: 2015 - 2023

Tasting notes: Enticing nose combines white peach, lemon zest and wild herbs. The refreshing apricot flavor is elegant and juicy, with a subtle smoky element adding grip to the wine's flinty backbone. A cool, minty Riesling from the higher terraces of this famous site, this Smaragd will show more complexity with bottle age.

Producer Commentary:
Roman Horvath and Heinz Frischengruber have now been at the helm of this co-operative for a full decade. With 450 hectares of vineyards and annual production of three million bottles a year, it represents about one-third of the entire region and makes a wide number of wines that merit serious attention at very attractive prices.

With over a hundred different soil structures, the co-op also has the full palette of potential flavor profiles to offer, but the sheer number of different sites is sometimes difficult to manage. In the steepest sites, for example, a member farmer may spend 1,200 hours in a single hectare of vines from pruning until harvest. In the flatter blocks near the Danube, that figure can fall to as little as 150.

When I asked him about the growing interest in organic wines, Horvath indicated that the Domäne Wachau has implemented sustainable viticulture, but that going organic “would be difficult because the Wachau is monoculture.” While I would like to see the Smaragds with a touch more nerve, Horvath is more worried about physiological ripeness. “We are not worried about the alcohol levels going too high,” he added.
2015 Riesling Federspiel Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2018

Tasting notes: Juicy fresh apricot and lime are laced with iodine and salt in this sassy and invigorating if spare bottling. The significant share of fruit from Right Bank sites and from the Spitzer Graben, which is characteristic of the Domäne Wachau’s generic bottlings (fruit from the Wachau’s core Left Bank being to a significant degree diverted into single-vineyard offerings), makes for a wine whose leanness, levity and brightness are atypical for 2015. A penetrating, refreshing finish nicely perpetuates the mineral elements that were already evident midpalate. 

Producer Commentary:
A clear indication of how effective the Domäne Wachau’s recent viticultural regimen has been is that even Grüner Veltliner Federspiel from top sites did not need to be harvested in 2015 until early October, albeit then in considerable haste. With picking for Smaragd having been delayed until the last third of that month, explained cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber, it became necessary to cull a certain accumulation of botrytis. His crew manifestly mastered that task. The best wines of this impressive collection share delightful freshness, energy and clarity, traits not to be taken for granted in 2015, and this is no doubt in part due to the same restraint in de-leafing, hedging and crop-thinning as well as the retention of ground-cooling cover crops that helped stave off prematurely high must weights. Possibly, too, a wine cooperative, drawing as it does on many small growers even within any given site, gained from lot diversity and blending options in a year when ripeness tended toward extreme homogeneity. The difference in finished alcohol between Federspiel and Smaragd bottlings is unusually narrow here this year, with nearly all of the wines falling between 12.25 and 13.5 percent. But those Federspiel bottlings I tasted (and that was most of them) displayed the levity appropriate to that category. Especially in this vintage, then, the Domäne Wachau offers oenophiles a rare and delightfully delicious (not to mention unusually affordable) opportunity to compare the characteristics conveyed by some of the Wachau’s finest sites without having to do so at Smaragd level. “Now that our improvements in the vineyards are having their effect,” noted Frischengruber, “more sites than ever are meriting single-vineyard bottlings.” He thinks Riesling was advantaged in 2015 by its superior ability to withstand drought and heat – though my own impressions of his collection are ambiguous in that respect – and he emphasizes that the water available for irrigation was at best barely sufficient this year to alleviate outright midsummer shutdown. Delayed bottling continues to be a trend at this address, so most of the single-site Smaragde were still in tank or cask when I last tasted them in June, and weren’t due for bottling until August or September 2016. (For details concerning this cooperative’s vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2015 Riesling Federspiel Bruck
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2020

Tasting notes: As befits this site’s situation in the cool Spitzer Graben, even Federspiel wasn’t harvested until late October, which meant coming to terms with some rain, but also meant extended hang-time for flavors to mature. White peach, apricot and lime inhabit a firm, briskly tart-edged palate, leading to a correspondingly invigorating and refreshingly juicy finish. Stony notes lend some austerity to a finish that is, however, impressively penetrating, delightfully bright and mouthwateringly salt-tinged.

Producer Commentary:
A clear indication of how effective the Domäne Wachau’s recent viticultural regimen has been is that even Grüner Veltliner Federspiel from top sites did not need to be harvested in 2015 until early October, albeit then in considerable haste. With picking for Smaragd having been delayed until the last third of that month, explained cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber, it became necessary to cull a certain accumulation of botrytis. His crew manifestly mastered that task. The best wines of this impressive collection share delightful freshness, energy and clarity, traits not to be taken for granted in 2015, and this is no doubt in part due to the same restraint in de-leafing, hedging and crop-thinning as well as the retention of ground-cooling cover crops that helped stave off prematurely high must weights. Possibly, too, a wine cooperative, drawing as it does on many small growers even within any given site, gained from lot diversity and blending options in a year when ripeness tended toward extreme homogeneity. The difference in finished alcohol between Federspiel and Smaragd bottlings is unusually narrow here this year, with nearly all of the wines falling between 12.25 and 13.5 percent. But those Federspiel bottlings I tasted (and that was most of them) displayed the levity appropriate to that category. Especially in this vintage, then, the Domäne Wachau offers oenophiles a rare and delightfully delicious (not to mention unusually affordable) opportunity to compare the characteristics conveyed by some of the Wachau’s finest sites without having to do so at Smaragd level. “Now that our improvements in the vineyards are having their effect,” noted Frischengruber, “more sites than ever are meriting single-vineyard bottlings.” He thinks Riesling was advantaged in 2015 by its superior ability to withstand drought and heat – though my own impressions of his collection are ambiguous in that respect – and he emphasizes that the water available for irrigation was at best barely sufficient this year to alleviate outright midsummer shutdown. Delayed bottling continues to be a trend at this address, so most of the single-site Smaragde were still in tank or cask when I last tasted them in June, and weren’t due for bottling until August or September 2016. (For details concerning this cooperative’s vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2014 Riesling Federspiel Bruck
Color: White

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2018

Tasting notes: Reflecting the notoriously extreme 2014 challenges to Riesling in the Spitzer Graben, this bottling is spare and sharply acidic, but it delivers admirable primary juiciness of lime and apple, as well as invigoratingly piquant pip inflections for a refreshingly persistent finish.

Producer Commentary:
From an already ungenerous 2014 crop, this illustrious co-op restricted the volume it bottled under the Domäne Wachau label to little more than half of a normal year’s production. The resulting wines eloquently testify to the stringent standards that have long prevailed here, but even measured against those standards, not to mention the challenges of this vintage, the 2014s here represent an amazing achievement and reveal this co-op at the top of their game. Intriguingly, many of the wines I tasted from tank or cask in June 2015 were even clearer and more expressive when re-tasted in September, only a month or so after bottling. In keeping with very modest prevailing must weights as well as the vivacious character of 2014 raw materials, fewer Smaragd bottlings than usual were issued, but it is these that truly excel, the Rieslings quite remarkably so given what I have come to expect from 2014. As usual (despite my luxury of two tasting sessions) I did not audition quite all of this establishment’s single-vineyard Riesling and Grüner Veltliner offerings of the vintage, and sampled only a few of their numerous bottlings from other grape varieties. Incidentally, the latest in a series of Amphora-raised Rieslings that goes back to at least 2010 was among just three 2014s (all Rieslings, none vineyard-specific) that did not convince me, its prominent phenolics linked to a rather drying back-end.
2014 Riesling Federspiel 100 Eimer Berg
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2019

Tasting notes: A faintly smoky but shrouding reductive haze had to blow off before this wine revealed its apricot and lime fruit. Lean and bright, focused and penetratingly persistent, its pit and pip piquancy makes for a certain finishing austerity, but happily, refreshing primary juiciness and mouthwatering salinity gain the upper hand. This will definitely merit following for at least several years.

Producer Commentary:
From an already ungenerous 2014 crop, this illustrious co-op restricted the volume it bottled under the Domäne Wachau label to little more than half of a normal year’s production. The resulting wines eloquently testify to the stringent standards that have long prevailed here, but even measured against those standards, not to mention the challenges of this vintage, the 2014s here represent an amazing achievement and reveal this co-op at the top of their game. Intriguingly, many of the wines I tasted from tank or cask in June 2015 were even clearer and more expressive when re-tasted in September, only a month or so after bottling. In keeping with very modest prevailing must weights as well as the vivacious character of 2014 raw materials, fewer Smaragd bottlings than usual were issued, but it is these that truly excel, the Rieslings quite remarkably so given what I have come to expect from 2014. As usual (despite my luxury of two tasting sessions) I did not audition quite all of this establishment’s single-vineyard Riesling and Grüner Veltliner offerings of the vintage, and sampled only a few of their numerous bottlings from other grape varieties. Incidentally, the latest in a series of Amphora-raised Rieslings that goes back to at least 2010 was among just three 2014s (all Rieslings, none vineyard-specific) that did not convince me, its prominent phenolics linked to a rather drying back-end.
2015 Gemischter Satz Smaragd Seiber
Color: White

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2018

Tasting notes: For the first time, the Domäne has dedicated a bottling to one of their members’ few remaining old field blends. These octogenarian vines in Weissenkirchen’s highest vineyard site consist, in approximate order of magnitude, of Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Neuburger, Sauvignon Blanc, Brauner Veltliner, Heunisch, Roter Veltliner, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Müller-Thurgau, Gelber Muskateller, Muskat Ottonel, Traminer ... and a few more varieties! As with this estate’s recent explorations of Neuburger and Roter Traminer, élevage was in small barrels, and in the present instance, a resinous oak influence dries the mouth a bit in the finish. That having been noted, the high-toned combination of quince and overwintered apple with decadent floral perfume, accompanied by smoky and stony impingements, is certainly striking. And the finish is seriously sustained, if a bit prominently bitter. I’d like to revisit this, and I’m merely guessing as to how it might evolve in bottle. 

Producer Commentary:
A clear indication of how effective the Domäne Wachau’s recent viticultural regimen has been is that even Grüner Veltliner Federspiel from top sites did not need to be harvested in 2015 until early October, albeit then in considerable haste. With picking for Smaragd having been delayed until the last third of that month, explained cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber, it became necessary to cull a certain accumulation of botrytis. His crew manifestly mastered that task. The best wines of this impressive collection share delightful freshness, energy and clarity, traits not to be taken for granted in 2015, and this is no doubt in part due to the same restraint in de-leafing, hedging and crop-thinning as well as the retention of ground-cooling cover crops that helped stave off prematurely high must weights. Possibly, too, a wine cooperative, drawing as it does on many small growers even within any given site, gained from lot diversity and blending options in a year when ripeness tended toward extreme homogeneity. The difference in finished alcohol between Federspiel and Smaragd bottlings is unusually narrow here this year, with nearly all of the wines falling between 12.25 and 13.5 percent. But those Federspiel bottlings I tasted (and that was most of them) displayed the levity appropriate to that category. Especially in this vintage, then, the Domäne Wachau offers oenophiles a rare and delightfully delicious (not to mention unusually affordable) opportunity to compare the characteristics conveyed by some of the Wachau’s finest sites without having to do so at Smaragd level. “Now that our improvements in the vineyards are having their effect,” noted Frischengruber, “more sites than ever are meriting single-vineyard bottlings.” He thinks Riesling was advantaged in 2015 by its superior ability to withstand drought and heat – though my own impressions of his collection are ambiguous in that respect – and he emphasizes that the water available for irrigation was at best barely sufficient this year to alleviate outright midsummer shutdown. Delayed bottling continues to be a trend at this address, so most of the single-site Smaragde were still in tank or cask when I last tasted them in June, and weren’t due for bottling until August or September 2016. (For details concerning this cooperative’s vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2015 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten
Color: White

Score: 92.5

Drinking window: 2017 - 2028

Tasting notes: A gorgeous nose mingles iris, buddleia, struck flint, sea breezes, fresh lime and white peach. You might pause, wondering whether what’s in your glass is Grüner Veltliner or Riesling, but I wouldn’t complain about lack of distinctiveness since the disarmingly lovely contents vividly proclaim “Achleiten!” Nor can one complain about a quality-price rapport such as you won’t encounter anywhere else in the Wachau. The palate here feels silky and is subtly oily as well as lusciously expansive, yet also billowing in its sense of buoyancy and inner-mouth florality. The long finish delivers a memorably transparent, shimmering colloquy of fruits, flowers and myriad mineral notes over a bed of wet stone. 

Producer Commentary:
A clear indication of how effective the Domäne Wachau’s recent viticultural regimen has been is that even Grüner Veltliner Federspiel from top sites did not need to be harvested in 2015 until early October, albeit then in considerable haste. With picking for Smaragd having been delayed until the last third of that month, explained cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber, it became necessary to cull a certain accumulation of botrytis. His crew manifestly mastered that task. The best wines of this impressive collection share delightful freshness, energy and clarity, traits not to be taken for granted in 2015, and this is no doubt in part due to the same restraint in de-leafing, hedging and crop-thinning as well as the retention of ground-cooling cover crops that helped stave off prematurely high must weights. Possibly, too, a wine cooperative, drawing as it does on many small growers even within any given site, gained from lot diversity and blending options in a year when ripeness tended toward extreme homogeneity. The difference in finished alcohol between Federspiel and Smaragd bottlings is unusually narrow here this year, with nearly all of the wines falling between 12.25 and 13.5 percent. But those Federspiel bottlings I tasted (and that was most of them) displayed the levity appropriate to that category. Especially in this vintage, then, the Domäne Wachau offers oenophiles a rare and delightfully delicious (not to mention unusually affordable) opportunity to compare the characteristics conveyed by some of the Wachau’s finest sites without having to do so at Smaragd level. “Now that our improvements in the vineyards are having their effect,” noted Frischengruber, “more sites than ever are meriting single-vineyard bottlings.” He thinks Riesling was advantaged in 2015 by its superior ability to withstand drought and heat – though my own impressions of his collection are ambiguous in that respect – and he emphasizes that the water available for irrigation was at best barely sufficient this year to alleviate outright midsummer shutdown. Delayed bottling continues to be a trend at this address, so most of the single-site Smaragde were still in tank or cask when I last tasted them in June, and weren’t due for bottling until August or September 2016. (For details concerning this cooperative’s vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2008 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Deep yellow. The nose exhibits dried apricot, yellow plum, smoky minerals and subtle peppery spices. An intense yellow peach flavor is framed and enlivened by a refreshing acid structure, giving this rather powerful wine an impression of firmness. A lingering flavor of Golden Delicious apple adds appeal to this versatile, food-friendly wine. Drink 2011 to 2023.

Producer Commentary:
2013 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2028

Tasting notes: A terrific nose mingles greenhouse-like floral and leafy scents with mouthwateringly caramelized suggestions of blond tobacco, roasted rutabaga and parsnip, all of which then inform a full and oil-slicked but fundamentally firm palate further laced with juicy apple and honeydew melon. Pungent green herbs, white pepper, smoky black tea and crushed stone as well as alkaline mineral notes add intrigue and stimulation on a seriously sustained finish that, a year after bottling, displays both luscious juiciness and shimmering interactivity that I had by no means initially anticipated.

Producer Commentary:
Director Roman Horvath and cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber adeptly manage this huge and prestigious co-op; indeed, their work reveals that that description is no oxymoron. We’ve been here before, though, since the exceptional potential that could be drawn from the vast acreage and nearly 300 members formerly collectively known as the Freie Weingärtner Wachau was illustriously demonstrated under the regime of a then very young cellarmaster, Fritz Miesbauer (now running the Weingut Stadt Krems) in tandem with director Willi Klinger (now head of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board) and later Rainer Wess (now of the eponymous and impressive estate). There were a few disruptive years and weak vintages in between, but with those exceptions this co-operative has been a source of outstanding Wachau value during an era when some might argue that those two words, too, threatened to become oxymoronic.

Certain lots of 2013 Riesling Federspiel were lightly de-acidified (while remaining unusually high in acidity for their genre) but in general Frischengruber felt that the exceptionally high dry extract accumulated in this overall well-watered growing season served, or will ultimately serve, as adequate buffering. Horvath and Frischengruber began in 2013 to permit their Smaragd bottlings 10 or 11 months of élevage and the wisdom of that approach was suggested each time I tasted post-bottling. I never get around to sampling quite all of the many Riesling and Grüner Veltliner bottlings that issue from the Domäne, much less all of their wide-ranging work with diverse alternative grape varieties and their numerous experimental but commercial batches, including wines raised in newer wood or amphora.
2007 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium green-yellow. Flinty minerals back yellow apple and pineapple on the nose, all laced with blossom honey. Juicy on the palate, with complex flavors of apricot, apple and minerals exhibiting good intensity all the way through to the finish. Remains elegant in spite of its considerable power. This multifaceted, already-expressive wine offers a good decade of aging potential.

Producer Commentary:
The Domane Wachau, formerly called the Freie Weingartner Wachau, celebrated its 70th anniversary with one of the most successful years in its history. The Domane Wachau has established itself among the top Austrian wine producers under the management of Roman Horvath and enologist Heinz Frischengruber, and after a strategic repositioning in important international markets like Scandinavia and Great Britain, the cooperative has now set its sights on increased activity in the U.S. market. The 2007 vintage here has received much international recognition for polished and precise wines. The Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten was awarded two trophies at the world's largest independent wine competition, the International Wine Challenge in London: Best International Gruner Veltliner and Best Austrian White. Wines in the Smaragd category may be less voluptuous and concentrated than those of the previous vintage, but they are extremely elegant, with wonderful regional expression.
2001 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten
Color: White

Score: 2.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: High-toned and esterous in the nose, featuring white peach, citrus and pungent minerality. Doughy, rich and substantial in the mouth yet leavened by well-integrated citricity. Suffused with white peach, nut oils, floral perfume, slate and mineral salts. Fabulous finish of flowers, peach, nut oil and minerals, with the sense of textural creaminess clinging like a phantom limb. And this wine is just ridiculous value! 2 stars.

Producer Commentary:
This illustrious co-operative, formerly Freiex000D Weingartner Wachau, has changed its label and its name. Domane ["doe-MAY-nae"] Wachau isx000D in fact a designation the co-op used earlier this century. Fritz Miesbauer and Rainer Wess are stillx000D calling the shots, and the wines still represent outstanding values. Sadly, the extraordinary,x000D computer-controlled technical facilities - most of them only put in place overx000D the past three years - were among the casualties of the August 2002x000D flooding. (Vin Divino) Also recommended: 2001 Gruner Veltliner Steinfeder Hochrain, 2001 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Loibenberg, 2001 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen, 2001 Riesling Federspiel Bruck, 2001 Riesling Smaragd Tausendeimerberg.
2011 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Discreet aromas of muskmelon, orange peel, white pepper and tobacco leaf. The somewhat malty fruit is closed and touch austere. A current of freshness lends nice balance to this medium-bodied wine, provoking flavors of banana, mango and ripe apple on the finish.

Producer Commentary:
A number of the leading figures in the Austrian wine industry have cut their teeth here, including Willi Klinger, Fritz Miesbauer and Rainer Wess. Today it is Roman Horvath and his winemaker Heinz Frischengruber who are at the helm. There is no question that this is one of the finest co-operatives in Europe, but I still find it rather surprising that they were able to change their name from Freie Weingartner to Domane Wachau without a whisper of protest. Nonetheless, if all of the estates here consistently bottled this level of quality, the Wachau would soon be a household word in remote parts of the world. (www.domaene-wachau.at) Also recommended: 2012 Muskateller Terrassen (85), 2012 Riesling Federspiel Terrassen (86), 2012 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen (85), 2012 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen (87), 2012 Roter Traminer Reserve Setzberg (87).
2016 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2028

Tasting notes: Rosemary, privet, snap pea and green bean share aromatic billing with intimations of stony mineral matter. The palate is full, glossy, glycerol-rich and generously juicy, but also displays invigorating crunch accompanied by Riesling-like suggestions of white peach and lime. Peppery and crystalline stony impingements add to the stimulating dynamic displayed by this admirable and impressively sustained interpretation of a great site.

Producer Commentary:
This long exemplary and technically increasingly sophisticated co-op, heavily vested in far-flung vineyards including along the Spitzer Graben (which represents nearly half its total holdings) and in other vulnerable sectors, attempted massive action in an effort to spare vines from the three frosty late April days of 2016. Smudge pots, burning straw, sprinklers and a hovering helicopter all had a go at it. But losses were severe in several sectors and in Spitzer Graben were close to 90%. Director Roman Horvath observed that overall, Grüner Veltliner represented the salvation of the vintage, quantitatively speaking, as losses in Riesling, Neuburger, Pinot Blanc and Muskateller were close to half compared with an average year. And despite its reduced size, this vintage’s Grüner Veltliner crop yielded a generous contingent of bottlings, including – as befits the vintage’s combination of long hang time with modest must weights – no fewer than half a dozen vineyard-designated Federspiele, of which I was unfortunately only able to taste two. (Of five vineyard-designated Riesling Federspiel bottlings, I tasted four.) Picking began on September 22, but there were regular delays due to sporadic rain, and despite the small crop size, harvest was not completed until mid-November. Results confirm the high standards of this establishment. (For details concerning its vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2003 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten
Color: White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Tropical fruit, honey and flowers in the nose. The flavors and mineral expression here somewhat suggest a dry Middle Mosel riesling from Trittenheim or Piesport. More gruner veltliner-typical sweet pea and green bean flavors emerge in the clear, engaging finish, along with unmistakable wet stone and salty mineral character. 1 star.

Producer Commentary:
The illustrious Freie Weingartner Wachau now bottles most of their wines, including those exported to the U. S. , under the name "Domane Wachau. "Under the direction of Roland Grossinger and Hannes Donabaum, the team here has again produced a collection studded with excellent values, although certain wines disappointed-including, surprisingly, a Smaragd Achleiten which, while aromatically clear and pure, failed to project much personality. The 2003 harvest began in late August, the earliest in this cooperative's history, in an effort to ensure a stock of light and refreshing Steinfeder wines. But riesling, relates Grossinger, lagged far behind gruner veltliner in maturation, and in rare instances was still stuck at Steinfeder level in October, even as the first gruner veltliner at Smaragd level was being harvested. At most two or three hours in the press represented more than enough skin contact this year, Grossinger said. (Vin Divino, Chicago, IL) Also recommended: 2003 Gelber Muskateller Steinfeder (under the Freie Weingartner label), 2003 Riesling Steinfeder Terrassen, 2003 Gruner Veltliner Alte Reben, 2003 Riesling/Muskateller Clarissima.
2007 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium green-yellow. Very clear fruit aromas of mango and apricot are backed by subtle tobacco spice. Juicy and squeaky-clean in the mouth, with a clearly defined flavor of sweet yellow plum supported elegantly by streamlined acidity. Crushed pepper lingers on the finish of this harmonious and versatile wine. Drink now to 2013.

Producer Commentary:
The Domane Wachau, formerly called the Freie Weingartner Wachau, celebrated its 70th anniversary with one of the most successful years in its history. The Domane Wachau has established itself among the top Austrian wine producers under the management of Roman Horvath and enologist Heinz Frischengruber, and after a strategic repositioning in important international markets like Scandinavia and Great Britain, the cooperative has now set its sights on increased activity in the U.S. market. The 2007 vintage here has received much international recognition for polished and precise wines. The Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten was awarded two trophies at the world's largest independent wine competition, the International Wine Challenge in London: Best International Gruner Veltliner and Best Austrian White. Wines in the Smaragd category may be less voluptuous and concentrated than those of the previous vintage, but they are extremely elegant, with wonderful regional expression.
2003 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: This smells very much of lightly cooked green beans. Juicy and clear on the palate, with nutmeg, pineapple and green bean notes. Perhaps not terribly complex ultimately, but this is infectiously juicy and satisfyingly long. 1 star.

Producer Commentary:
The illustrious Freie Weingartner Wachau now bottles most of their wines, including those exported to the U. S. , under the name "Domane Wachau. "Under the direction of Roland Grossinger and Hannes Donabaum, the team here has again produced a collection studded with excellent values, although certain wines disappointed-including, surprisingly, a Smaragd Achleiten which, while aromatically clear and pure, failed to project much personality. The 2003 harvest began in late August, the earliest in this cooperative's history, in an effort to ensure a stock of light and refreshing Steinfeder wines. But riesling, relates Grossinger, lagged far behind gruner veltliner in maturation, and in rare instances was still stuck at Steinfeder level in October, even as the first gruner veltliner at Smaragd level was being harvested. At most two or three hours in the press represented more than enough skin contact this year, Grossinger said. (Vin Divino, Chicago, IL) Also recommended: 2003 Gelber Muskateller Steinfeder (under the Freie Weingartner label), 2003 Riesling Steinfeder Terrassen, 2003 Gruner Veltliner Alte Reben, 2003 Riesling/Muskateller Clarissima.
2014 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2020

Tasting notes: There is a surprising softness at the heart of this bottling, possibly on account of deacidification. Nutty and vegetal flavors of legumes and dark leafy greens are tinged with white pepper, leading to an extended if pithily piquant finish. (Angularity and outright bitterness hampered the corresponding Riesling cuvée.)

Producer Commentary:
From an already ungenerous 2014 crop, this illustrious co-op restricted the volume it bottled under the Domäne Wachau label to little more than half of a normal year’s production. The resulting wines eloquently testify to the stringent standards that have long prevailed here, but even measured against those standards, not to mention the challenges of this vintage, the 2014s here represent an amazing achievement and reveal this co-op at the top of their game. Intriguingly, many of the wines I tasted from tank or cask in June 2015 were even clearer and more expressive when re-tasted in September, only a month or so after bottling. In keeping with very modest prevailing must weights as well as the vivacious character of 2014 raw materials, fewer Smaragd bottlings than usual were issued, but it is these that truly excel, the Rieslings quite remarkably so given what I have come to expect from 2014. As usual (despite my luxury of two tasting sessions) I did not audition quite all of this establishment’s single-vineyard Riesling and Grüner Veltliner offerings of the vintage, and sampled only a few of their numerous bottlings from other grape varieties. Incidentally, the latest in a series of Amphora-raised Rieslings that goes back to at least 2010 was among just three 2014s (all Rieslings, none vineyard-specific) that did not convince me, its prominent phenolics linked to a rather drying back-end.
2016 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2020

Tasting notes: Artichoke and green bean familiar from both the corresponding vintage 2015 bottling and this year’s Terrassen Federspiel are here mingled on nose and palate with hints of mango and papaya. The feel is silken and the finish features ample refreshing juiciness, without displaying quite the clarity, energy or salinity of the aforementioned Federspiel.

Producer Commentary:
This long exemplary and technically increasingly sophisticated co-op, heavily vested in far-flung vineyards including along the Spitzer Graben (which represents nearly half its total holdings) and in other vulnerable sectors, attempted massive action in an effort to spare vines from the three frosty late April days of 2016. Smudge pots, burning straw, sprinklers and a hovering helicopter all had a go at it. But losses were severe in several sectors and in Spitzer Graben were close to 90%. Director Roman Horvath observed that overall, Grüner Veltliner represented the salvation of the vintage, quantitatively speaking, as losses in Riesling, Neuburger, Pinot Blanc and Muskateller were close to half compared with an average year. And despite its reduced size, this vintage’s Grüner Veltliner crop yielded a generous contingent of bottlings, including – as befits the vintage’s combination of long hang time with modest must weights – no fewer than half a dozen vineyard-designated Federspiele, of which I was unfortunately only able to taste two. (Of five vineyard-designated Riesling Federspiel bottlings, I tasted four.) Picking began on September 22, but there were regular delays due to sporadic rain, and despite the small crop size, harvest was not completed until mid-November. Results confirm the high standards of this establishment. (For details concerning its vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2008 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium green-yellow. Delicate blossom honey, ripe apple, orange, white pepper, fresh tobacco leaf and minerals make for a highly complex nose. Harmonious ripe acids provide nice balance to this medium-bodied wine, and give freshness to the flavors of banana, mango and ripe apple. The finish is long and fruity.

Producer Commentary:
2016 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Kellerberg
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2028

Tasting notes: Following a marginally disappointing 2015, this installment of Kellerberg Grüner Veltliner is impressively deep. Tart-edged rhubarb and apple offer mouthwatering anticipation of stimulating tanginess on the nose. Papaya and pineapple join in on the palate. The feel is polished and there is considerable body, but without that compromising a sense of invigorating and animating juiciness. Szechuan pepper and smoky Latakia tobacco add to the pungent savor displayed on a long-lasting finish.

Producer Commentary:
This long exemplary and technically increasingly sophisticated co-op, heavily vested in far-flung vineyards including along the Spitzer Graben (which represents nearly half its total holdings) and in other vulnerable sectors, attempted massive action in an effort to spare vines from the three frosty late April days of 2016. Smudge pots, burning straw, sprinklers and a hovering helicopter all had a go at it. But losses were severe in several sectors and in Spitzer Graben were close to 90%. Director Roman Horvath observed that overall, Grüner Veltliner represented the salvation of the vintage, quantitatively speaking, as losses in Riesling, Neuburger, Pinot Blanc and Muskateller were close to half compared with an average year. And despite its reduced size, this vintage’s Grüner Veltliner crop yielded a generous contingent of bottlings, including – as befits the vintage’s combination of long hang time with modest must weights – no fewer than half a dozen vineyard-designated Federspiele, of which I was unfortunately only able to taste two. (Of five vineyard-designated Riesling Federspiel bottlings, I tasted four.) Picking began on September 22, but there were regular delays due to sporadic rain, and despite the small crop size, harvest was not completed until mid-November. Results confirm the high standards of this establishment. (For details concerning its vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2001 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Kellerberg
Color: White

Score: 1.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Rhubarb on the nose. Herb and meat broth with a persistent, faintly astringent and tart rhubarb note on the palate, although there is also underlying riper flavor of peach. A smoky Szechuan pepper note adds interest. Peach, mocha and rhubarb in the finish, with low-toned meatiness and smoky, peppery persistence. 1 star.

Producer Commentary:
This illustrious co-operative, formerly Freiex000D Weingartner Wachau, has changed its label and its name. Domane ["doe-MAY-nae"] Wachau isx000D in fact a designation the co-op used earlier this century. Fritz Miesbauer and Rainer Wess are stillx000D calling the shots, and the wines still represent outstanding values. Sadly, the extraordinary,x000D computer-controlled technical facilities - most of them only put in place overx000D the past three years - were among the casualties of the August 2002x000D flooding. (Vin Divino) Also recommended: 2001 Gruner Veltliner Steinfeder Hochrain, 2001 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Loibenberg, 2001 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen, 2001 Riesling Federspiel Bruck, 2001 Riesling Smaragd Tausendeimerberg.
2012 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Kellerberg
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Herbal aromas of yellow apple, pineapple and pistachio. Juicy on the palate, with rich flavors of apricot, melon and minerals exhibiting good intensity through the finish. Impressive more for its richness and depth than elegance.

Producer Commentary:
A number of the leading figures in the Austrian wine industry have cut their teeth here, including Willi Klinger, Fritz Miesbauer and Rainer Wess. Today it is Roman Horvath and his winemaker Heinz Frischengruber who are at the helm. There is no question that this is one of the finest co-operatives in Europe, but I still find it rather surprising that they were able to change their name from Freie Weingartner to Domane Wachau without a whisper of protest. Nonetheless, if all of the estates here consistently bottled this level of quality, the Wachau would soon be a household word in remote parts of the world. (www.domaene-wachau.at) Also recommended: 2012 Muskateller Terrassen (85), 2012 Riesling Federspiel Terrassen (86), 2012 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen (85), 2012 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen (87), 2012 Roter Traminer Reserve Setzberg (87).
2007 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Pale green. Apple and a hint of apricot over subtle leafy notes on the nose, along with mineral and tobacco nuances. Juicy in the mouth, with refreshing white pear and apple flavors carried by lively acidity. A flavor of pear lingers on the finish of this versatile wine. Drink now to 2013.

Producer Commentary:
The Domane Wachau, formerly called the Freie Weingartner Wachau, celebrated its 70th anniversary with one of the most successful years in its history. The Domane Wachau has established itself among the top Austrian wine producers under the management of Roman Horvath and enologist Heinz Frischengruber, and after a strategic repositioning in important international markets like Scandinavia and Great Britain, the cooperative has now set its sights on increased activity in the U.S. market. The 2007 vintage here has received much international recognition for polished and precise wines. The Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten was awarded two trophies at the world's largest independent wine competition, the International Wine Challenge in London: Best International Gruner Veltliner and Best Austrian White. Wines in the Smaragd category may be less voluptuous and concentrated than those of the previous vintage, but they are extremely elegant, with wonderful regional expression.
2001 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 1.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Blue plum and petrol in the nose. Quite creamy in texture and yet light to the touch on the palate, with continued intriguing plumminess. There is also a sweaty, meaty, rather Burgundian note threading its way throughout. Really solid and persistent. I might almost have guessed this to be pinot blanc. 1 star.

Producer Commentary:
This illustrious co-operative, formerly Freiex000D Weingartner Wachau, has changed its label and its name. Domane ["doe-MAY-nae"] Wachau isx000D in fact a designation the co-op used earlier this century. Fritz Miesbauer and Rainer Wess are stillx000D calling the shots, and the wines still represent outstanding values. Sadly, the extraordinary,x000D computer-controlled technical facilities - most of them only put in place overx000D the past three years - were among the casualties of the August 2002x000D flooding. (Vin Divino) Also recommended: 2001 Gruner Veltliner Steinfeder Hochrain, 2001 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Loibenberg, 2001 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen, 2001 Riesling Federspiel Bruck, 2001 Riesling Smaragd Tausendeimerberg.
2015 Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2019

Tasting notes: Crunchy evocations of fresh apple, cucumber and lettuce, delightful buoyancy, and mouthwatering salinity all render this bottling remarkably close in character to its delightful 2014 predecessor. Nutty, positively vegetal suggestions of lentil and spinach add to the interest of a nicely sustained finish.

Producer Commentary:
A clear indication of how effective the Domäne Wachau’s recent viticultural regimen has been is that even Grüner Veltliner Federspiel from top sites did not need to be harvested in 2015 until early October, albeit then in considerable haste. With picking for Smaragd having been delayed until the last third of that month, explained cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber, it became necessary to cull a certain accumulation of botrytis. His crew manifestly mastered that task. The best wines of this impressive collection share delightful freshness, energy and clarity, traits not to be taken for granted in 2015, and this is no doubt in part due to the same restraint in de-leafing, hedging and crop-thinning as well as the retention of ground-cooling cover crops that helped stave off prematurely high must weights. Possibly, too, a wine cooperative, drawing as it does on many small growers even within any given site, gained from lot diversity and blending options in a year when ripeness tended toward extreme homogeneity. The difference in finished alcohol between Federspiel and Smaragd bottlings is unusually narrow here this year, with nearly all of the wines falling between 12.25 and 13.5 percent. But those Federspiel bottlings I tasted (and that was most of them) displayed the levity appropriate to that category. Especially in this vintage, then, the Domäne Wachau offers oenophiles a rare and delightfully delicious (not to mention unusually affordable) opportunity to compare the characteristics conveyed by some of the Wachau’s finest sites without having to do so at Smaragd level. “Now that our improvements in the vineyards are having their effect,” noted Frischengruber, “more sites than ever are meriting single-vineyard bottlings.” He thinks Riesling was advantaged in 2015 by its superior ability to withstand drought and heat – though my own impressions of his collection are ambiguous in that respect – and he emphasizes that the water available for irrigation was at best barely sufficient this year to alleviate outright midsummer shutdown. Delayed bottling continues to be a trend at this address, so most of the single-site Smaragde were still in tank or cask when I last tasted them in June, and weren’t due for bottling until August or September 2016. (For details concerning this cooperative’s vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2013 Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2020

Tasting notes: Scents and luscious but crunchy flavors of fresh lime, honeydew melon and green bean are pungently tinged with marjoram. Polished and glossy in feel, this is nonetheless persistently juicy and offers considerable finishing interplay (incorporating a telltale hint of white pepper) as well as sheer length. As a high-volume, multi-site visitors' card for its genre, one could scarcely ask for better value. Since, as usual, this bottling relies to a significant extent on fruit from the Spitzer Graben and the Danube’s Left Bank, one can be sure that especially in a vintage like 2013 it benefited from hanging well into the autumn.

Producer Commentary:
Director Roman Horvath and cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber adeptly manage this huge and prestigious co-op; indeed, their work reveals that that description is no oxymoron. We’ve been here before, though, since the exceptional potential that could be drawn from the vast acreage and nearly 300 members formerly collectively known as the Freie Weingärtner Wachau was illustriously demonstrated under the regime of a then very young cellarmaster, Fritz Miesbauer (now running the Weingut Stadt Krems) in tandem with director Willi Klinger (now head of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board) and later Rainer Wess (now of the eponymous and impressive estate). There were a few disruptive years and weak vintages in between, but with those exceptions this co-operative has been a source of outstanding Wachau value during an era when some might argue that those two words, too, threatened to become oxymoronic.

Certain lots of 2013 Riesling Federspiel were lightly de-acidified (while remaining unusually high in acidity for their genre) but in general Frischengruber felt that the exceptionally high dry extract accumulated in this overall well-watered growing season served, or will ultimately serve, as adequate buffering. Horvath and Frischengruber began in 2013 to permit their Smaragd bottlings 10 or 11 months of élevage and the wisdom of that approach was suggested each time I tasted post-bottling. I never get around to sampling quite all of the many Riesling and Grüner Veltliner bottlings that issue from the Domäne, much less all of their wide-ranging work with diverse alternative grape varieties and their numerous experimental but commercial batches, including wines raised in newer wood or amphora.
2003 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Lovely aromas of peach and sweet flowers. Quite refreshing in the mouth but with a touch of oiliness. Bright, savory finish with a long earthy mineral undertone, a hint of yellow split pea, and persistent peach and flowers. Excellent value.

Producer Commentary:
The illustrious Freie Weingartner Wachau now bottles most of their wines, including those exported to the U. S. , under the name "Domane Wachau. "Under the direction of Roland Grossinger and Hannes Donabaum, the team here has again produced a collection studded with excellent values, although certain wines disappointed-including, surprisingly, a Smaragd Achleiten which, while aromatically clear and pure, failed to project much personality. The 2003 harvest began in late August, the earliest in this cooperative's history, in an effort to ensure a stock of light and refreshing Steinfeder wines. But riesling, relates Grossinger, lagged far behind gruner veltliner in maturation, and in rare instances was still stuck at Steinfeder level in October, even as the first gruner veltliner at Smaragd level was being harvested. At most two or three hours in the press represented more than enough skin contact this year, Grossinger said. (Vin Divino, Chicago, IL) Also recommended: 2003 Gelber Muskateller Steinfeder (under the Freie Weingartner label), 2003 Riesling Steinfeder Terrassen, 2003 Gruner Veltliner Alte Reben, 2003 Riesling/Muskateller Clarissima.
2015 Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Pichlpoint
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2020

Tasting notes: As cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber points out, the warmth and loess overlay of this site make for relatively early harvesting, and for wine that could almost have come from the east side of Krems, with a dominance of roasted lentil nicely balanced by fresh lemon juiciness. Those elements provide a somewhat edgy contrast on the wine’s invigorating finish, to which a hint of iodine lends some intrigue. This well-concentrated Federspiel might well evolve into something more impressive after a year in bottle.

Producer Commentary:
A clear indication of how effective the Domäne Wachau’s recent viticultural regimen has been is that even Grüner Veltliner Federspiel from top sites did not need to be harvested in 2015 until early October, albeit then in considerable haste. With picking for Smaragd having been delayed until the last third of that month, explained cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber, it became necessary to cull a certain accumulation of botrytis. His crew manifestly mastered that task. The best wines of this impressive collection share delightful freshness, energy and clarity, traits not to be taken for granted in 2015, and this is no doubt in part due to the same restraint in de-leafing, hedging and crop-thinning as well as the retention of ground-cooling cover crops that helped stave off prematurely high must weights. Possibly, too, a wine cooperative, drawing as it does on many small growers even within any given site, gained from lot diversity and blending options in a year when ripeness tended toward extreme homogeneity. The difference in finished alcohol between Federspiel and Smaragd bottlings is unusually narrow here this year, with nearly all of the wines falling between 12.25 and 13.5 percent. But those Federspiel bottlings I tasted (and that was most of them) displayed the levity appropriate to that category. Especially in this vintage, then, the Domäne Wachau offers oenophiles a rare and delightfully delicious (not to mention unusually affordable) opportunity to compare the characteristics conveyed by some of the Wachau’s finest sites without having to do so at Smaragd level. “Now that our improvements in the vineyards are having their effect,” noted Frischengruber, “more sites than ever are meriting single-vineyard bottlings.” He thinks Riesling was advantaged in 2015 by its superior ability to withstand drought and heat – though my own impressions of his collection are ambiguous in that respect – and he emphasizes that the water available for irrigation was at best barely sufficient this year to alleviate outright midsummer shutdown. Delayed bottling continues to be a trend at this address, so most of the single-site Smaragde were still in tank or cask when I last tasted them in June, and weren’t due for bottling until August or September 2016. (For details concerning this cooperative’s vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2016 Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Liebenberg
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2023

Tasting notes: Ashen and dusty crushed stone notes mingle on the nose with green bean and apple that then serve for crunch on a glossy and (for Federspiel) surprisingly rich, full palate. The ashen and stony notes are joined by marine salinity on a mouthwateringly sustained finish. Think of this as a borderline Smaragd – in fact, two decades ago it would probably have sneaked by as one.

Producer Commentary:
This long exemplary and technically increasingly sophisticated co-op, heavily vested in far-flung vineyards including along the Spitzer Graben (which represents nearly half its total holdings) and in other vulnerable sectors, attempted massive action in an effort to spare vines from the three frosty late April days of 2016. Smudge pots, burning straw, sprinklers and a hovering helicopter all had a go at it. But losses were severe in several sectors and in Spitzer Graben were close to 90%. Director Roman Horvath observed that overall, Grüner Veltliner represented the salvation of the vintage, quantitatively speaking, as losses in Riesling, Neuburger, Pinot Blanc and Muskateller were close to half compared with an average year. And despite its reduced size, this vintage’s Grüner Veltliner crop yielded a generous contingent of bottlings, including – as befits the vintage’s combination of long hang time with modest must weights – no fewer than half a dozen vineyard-designated Federspiele, of which I was unfortunately only able to taste two. (Of five vineyard-designated Riesling Federspiel bottlings, I tasted four.) Picking began on September 22, but there were regular delays due to sporadic rain, and despite the small crop size, harvest was not completed until mid-November. Results confirm the high standards of this establishment. (For details concerning its vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2015 Beerenauslese Terrassen
Color: Sweet White

Score: 90.5

Drinking window: 2017 - 2028

Tasting notes: As rather frequently happens, the Domäne picked botrytized berries over a wide range of sites and grapes for a generic B.A. This one – largely Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, Pinot Blanc and Muskateller – features candied apple, candied lemon peel and quince and peach preserves, with hints of caramel and white raisin nicely balanced by a measure of bright lemon juiciness. Brown spices add allure to a lusciously lingering finish. The wine was not due for bottling before late 2016.

Producer Commentary:
A clear indication of how effective the Domäne Wachau’s recent viticultural regimen has been is that even Grüner Veltliner Federspiel from top sites did not need to be harvested in 2015 until early October, albeit then in considerable haste. With picking for Smaragd having been delayed until the last third of that month, explained cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber, it became necessary to cull a certain accumulation of botrytis. His crew manifestly mastered that task. The best wines of this impressive collection share delightful freshness, energy and clarity, traits not to be taken for granted in 2015, and this is no doubt in part due to the same restraint in de-leafing, hedging and crop-thinning as well as the retention of ground-cooling cover crops that helped stave off prematurely high must weights. Possibly, too, a wine cooperative, drawing as it does on many small growers even within any given site, gained from lot diversity and blending options in a year when ripeness tended toward extreme homogeneity. The difference in finished alcohol between Federspiel and Smaragd bottlings is unusually narrow here this year, with nearly all of the wines falling between 12.25 and 13.5 percent. But those Federspiel bottlings I tasted (and that was most of them) displayed the levity appropriate to that category. Especially in this vintage, then, the Domäne Wachau offers oenophiles a rare and delightfully delicious (not to mention unusually affordable) opportunity to compare the characteristics conveyed by some of the Wachau’s finest sites without having to do so at Smaragd level. “Now that our improvements in the vineyards are having their effect,” noted Frischengruber, “more sites than ever are meriting single-vineyard bottlings.” He thinks Riesling was advantaged in 2015 by its superior ability to withstand drought and heat – though my own impressions of his collection are ambiguous in that respect – and he emphasizes that the water available for irrigation was at best barely sufficient this year to alleviate outright midsummer shutdown. Delayed bottling continues to be a trend at this address, so most of the single-site Smaragde were still in tank or cask when I last tasted them in June, and weren’t due for bottling until August or September 2016. (For details concerning this cooperative’s vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2013 Beerenauslese Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2030

Tasting notes: This botrytized cuvée of 60% Riesling with equal parts Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Gelber Muskateller reflects a culling of sites destined for single-vineyard Smaragds, but also some late picking all the way into January. Like a mingling of apple jelly, honey and lime sorbet, but harboring a hint of fish oil, it manages despite its viscosity and sheer sweetness to retain a bright and tingling edge of zesty citricity. The sustained finish is soothingly honeyed if not especially complex, and retains just enough primary lemon and lime juiciness to encourage the next sip. There is little question this has the constitution for extended aging, during which greater fascination might well emerge. (375 ml.)

Producer Commentary:
Director Roman Horvath and cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber adeptly manage this huge and prestigious co-op; indeed, their work reveals that that description is no oxymoron. We’ve been here before, though, since the exceptional potential that could be drawn from the vast acreage and nearly 300 members formerly collectively known as the Freie Weingärtner Wachau was illustriously demonstrated under the regime of a then very young cellarmaster, Fritz Miesbauer (now running the Weingut Stadt Krems) in tandem with director Willi Klinger (now head of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board) and later Rainer Wess (now of the eponymous and impressive estate). There were a few disruptive years and weak vintages in between, but with those exceptions this co-operative has been a source of outstanding Wachau value during an era when some might argue that those two words, too, threatened to become oxymoronic.

Certain lots of 2013 Riesling Federspiel were lightly de-acidified (while remaining unusually high in acidity for their genre) but in general Frischengruber felt that the exceptionally high dry extract accumulated in this overall well-watered growing season served, or will ultimately serve, as adequate buffering. Horvath and Frischengruber began in 2013 to permit their Smaragd bottlings 10 or 11 months of élevage and the wisdom of that approach was suggested each time I tasted post-bottling. I never get around to sampling quite all of the many Riesling and Grüner Veltliner bottlings that issue from the Domäne, much less all of their wide-ranging work with diverse alternative grape varieties and their numerous experimental but commercial batches, including wines raised in newer wood or amphora.
2015 Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Kaiserberg
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2022

Tasting notes: A fascinatingly earthy and vegetal set of flavors – notably spinach and beet – is delightfully allied to pungently aromatic, zesty, juicy fresh grapefruit and lime. This bottling offers a flavorful range from bass to treble such as one seldom encounters in a buoyant Federspiel. The texture is spare, but might well fill out with another year in bottle, and the finish really grips.

Producer Commentary:
A clear indication of how effective the Domäne Wachau’s recent viticultural regimen has been is that even Grüner Veltliner Federspiel from top sites did not need to be harvested in 2015 until early October, albeit then in considerable haste. With picking for Smaragd having been delayed until the last third of that month, explained cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber, it became necessary to cull a certain accumulation of botrytis. His crew manifestly mastered that task. The best wines of this impressive collection share delightful freshness, energy and clarity, traits not to be taken for granted in 2015, and this is no doubt in part due to the same restraint in de-leafing, hedging and crop-thinning as well as the retention of ground-cooling cover crops that helped stave off prematurely high must weights. Possibly, too, a wine cooperative, drawing as it does on many small growers even within any given site, gained from lot diversity and blending options in a year when ripeness tended toward extreme homogeneity. The difference in finished alcohol between Federspiel and Smaragd bottlings is unusually narrow here this year, with nearly all of the wines falling between 12.25 and 13.5 percent. But those Federspiel bottlings I tasted (and that was most of them) displayed the levity appropriate to that category. Especially in this vintage, then, the Domäne Wachau offers oenophiles a rare and delightfully delicious (not to mention unusually affordable) opportunity to compare the characteristics conveyed by some of the Wachau’s finest sites without having to do so at Smaragd level. “Now that our improvements in the vineyards are having their effect,” noted Frischengruber, “more sites than ever are meriting single-vineyard bottlings.” He thinks Riesling was advantaged in 2015 by its superior ability to withstand drought and heat – though my own impressions of his collection are ambiguous in that respect – and he emphasizes that the water available for irrigation was at best barely sufficient this year to alleviate outright midsummer shutdown. Delayed bottling continues to be a trend at this address, so most of the single-site Smaragde were still in tank or cask when I last tasted them in June, and weren’t due for bottling until August or September 2016. (For details concerning this cooperative’s vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2014 Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Kaiserberg
Color: White

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2019

Tasting notes: From vines not usually subjected to single-vineyard bottling, this wine’s slightly austere firmness and underlying stoniness unavoidably bring to mind the character of the rocky, soil-poor Kaiserberg site itself. Green bean and herbs dominate through a sustained and thankfully juicy finish. I would not be surprised to see this become more intriguing as well as more generous with a couple of years in bottle.

Producer Commentary:
From an already ungenerous 2014 crop, this illustrious co-op restricted the volume it bottled under the Domäne Wachau label to little more than half of a normal year’s production. The resulting wines eloquently testify to the stringent standards that have long prevailed here, but even measured against those standards, not to mention the challenges of this vintage, the 2014s here represent an amazing achievement and reveal this co-op at the top of their game. Intriguingly, many of the wines I tasted from tank or cask in June 2015 were even clearer and more expressive when re-tasted in September, only a month or so after bottling. In keeping with very modest prevailing must weights as well as the vivacious character of 2014 raw materials, fewer Smaragd bottlings than usual were issued, but it is these that truly excel, the Rieslings quite remarkably so given what I have come to expect from 2014. As usual (despite my luxury of two tasting sessions) I did not audition quite all of this establishment’s single-vineyard Riesling and Grüner Veltliner offerings of the vintage, and sampled only a few of their numerous bottlings from other grape varieties. Incidentally, the latest in a series of Amphora-raised Rieslings that goes back to at least 2010 was among just three 2014s (all Rieslings, none vineyard-specific) that did not convince me, its prominent phenolics linked to a rather drying back-end.
2013 Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Kaiserberg
Color: White

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2020

Tasting notes: Subtle aromas of cantaloupe laced with tobacco. A delicate middle palate of sweet melon fruit is supported by vibrant acidity. Minerals and gooseberry linger on the aftertaste. 

Producer Commentary:
Roman Horvath and Heinz Frischengruber have now been at the helm of this co-operative for a full decade. With 450 hectares of vineyards and annual production of three million bottles a year, it represents about one-third of the entire region and makes a wide number of wines that merit serious attention at very attractive prices.

With over a hundred different soil structures, the co-op also has the full palette of potential flavor profiles to offer, but the sheer number of different sites is sometimes difficult to manage. In the steepest sites, for example, a member farmer may spend 1,200 hours in a single hectare of vines from pruning until harvest. In the flatter blocks near the Danube, that figure can fall to as little as 150.

When I asked him about the growing interest in organic wines, Horvath indicated that the Domäne Wachau has implemented sustainable viticulture, but that going organic “would be difficult because the Wachau is monoculture.” While I would like to see the Smaragds with a touch more nerve, Horvath is more worried about physiological ripeness. “We are not worried about the alcohol levels going too high,” he added.
2016 Gelber Muskateller Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2021

Tasting notes: Mint, basil, lemon and orange set the tone for a performance at once cooling and zesty. Glossy in feel, yet juicy and (at 11.5% alcohol) buoyant, this finishes with a mouthwatering lick of salinity. It’s a Muskateller that epitomizes this grape’s virtues without succumbing to any of its numerous potential pitfalls. What a shame that such success was coupled with so small a volume due to frost. 

Producer Commentary:
This long exemplary and technically increasingly sophisticated co-op, heavily vested in far-flung vineyards including along the Spitzer Graben (which represents nearly half its total holdings) and in other vulnerable sectors, attempted massive action in an effort to spare vines from the three frosty late April days of 2016. Smudge pots, burning straw, sprinklers and a hovering helicopter all had a go at it. But losses were severe in several sectors and in Spitzer Graben were close to 90%. Director Roman Horvath observed that overall, Grüner Veltliner represented the salvation of the vintage, quantitatively speaking, as losses in Riesling, Neuburger, Pinot Blanc and Muskateller were close to half compared with an average year. And despite its reduced size, this vintage’s Grüner Veltliner crop yielded a generous contingent of bottlings, including – as befits the vintage’s combination of long hang time with modest must weights – no fewer than half a dozen vineyard-designated Federspiele, of which I was unfortunately only able to taste two. (Of five vineyard-designated Riesling Federspiel bottlings, I tasted four.) Picking began on September 22, but there were regular delays due to sporadic rain, and despite the small crop size, harvest was not completed until mid-November. Results confirm the high standards of this establishment. (For details concerning its vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2015 Roter Traminer Setzberg Reserve
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2022

Tasting notes: Intensely redolent of clove, rose petal, bacon and smoky black tea, this is almost eau de vie-like in its high-toned aromatic concentration, and comes to the palate powerfully and expansively. A hint of sweetness nicely complements the spiciness, while serving to hold the alcohol to a modest 13.5 percent. Although only half of this went to barrel, there is slight drying from wood influence on the sustained finish.

Producer Commentary:
A clear indication of how effective the Domäne Wachau’s recent viticultural regimen has been is that even Grüner Veltliner Federspiel from top sites did not need to be harvested in 2015 until early October, albeit then in considerable haste. With picking for Smaragd having been delayed until the last third of that month, explained cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber, it became necessary to cull a certain accumulation of botrytis. His crew manifestly mastered that task. The best wines of this impressive collection share delightful freshness, energy and clarity, traits not to be taken for granted in 2015, and this is no doubt in part due to the same restraint in de-leafing, hedging and crop-thinning as well as the retention of ground-cooling cover crops that helped stave off prematurely high must weights. Possibly, too, a wine cooperative, drawing as it does on many small growers even within any given site, gained from lot diversity and blending options in a year when ripeness tended toward extreme homogeneity. The difference in finished alcohol between Federspiel and Smaragd bottlings is unusually narrow here this year, with nearly all of the wines falling between 12.25 and 13.5 percent. But those Federspiel bottlings I tasted (and that was most of them) displayed the levity appropriate to that category. Especially in this vintage, then, the Domäne Wachau offers oenophiles a rare and delightfully delicious (not to mention unusually affordable) opportunity to compare the characteristics conveyed by some of the Wachau’s finest sites without having to do so at Smaragd level. “Now that our improvements in the vineyards are having their effect,” noted Frischengruber, “more sites than ever are meriting single-vineyard bottlings.” He thinks Riesling was advantaged in 2015 by its superior ability to withstand drought and heat – though my own impressions of his collection are ambiguous in that respect – and he emphasizes that the water available for irrigation was at best barely sufficient this year to alleviate outright midsummer shutdown. Delayed bottling continues to be a trend at this address, so most of the single-site Smaragde were still in tank or cask when I last tasted them in June, and weren’t due for bottling until August or September 2016. (For details concerning this cooperative’s vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2015 Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Loibenberg
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2024

Tasting notes: This displays an oily richness one might not associate with Federspiel, but that is consistent with the tendency of its steeply terraced, south- and southwest-facing terraces to emphasize ripe fruit and exotic aromas. Musky narcissus and peony perfume usher in a palate of surprising breadth, dominated by earthy turnip and beet with hints of muskmelon. Happily, there is still a lovely sense of lift, and the lingering finish boasts persistent juiciness, with alkaline notes adding counterpoint but not outright bitterness.

Producer Commentary:
A clear indication of how effective the Domäne Wachau’s recent viticultural regimen has been is that even Grüner Veltliner Federspiel from top sites did not need to be harvested in 2015 until early October, albeit then in considerable haste. With picking for Smaragd having been delayed until the last third of that month, explained cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber, it became necessary to cull a certain accumulation of botrytis. His crew manifestly mastered that task. The best wines of this impressive collection share delightful freshness, energy and clarity, traits not to be taken for granted in 2015, and this is no doubt in part due to the same restraint in de-leafing, hedging and crop-thinning as well as the retention of ground-cooling cover crops that helped stave off prematurely high must weights. Possibly, too, a wine cooperative, drawing as it does on many small growers even within any given site, gained from lot diversity and blending options in a year when ripeness tended toward extreme homogeneity. The difference in finished alcohol between Federspiel and Smaragd bottlings is unusually narrow here this year, with nearly all of the wines falling between 12.25 and 13.5 percent. But those Federspiel bottlings I tasted (and that was most of them) displayed the levity appropriate to that category. Especially in this vintage, then, the Domäne Wachau offers oenophiles a rare and delightfully delicious (not to mention unusually affordable) opportunity to compare the characteristics conveyed by some of the Wachau’s finest sites without having to do so at Smaragd level. “Now that our improvements in the vineyards are having their effect,” noted Frischengruber, “more sites than ever are meriting single-vineyard bottlings.” He thinks Riesling was advantaged in 2015 by its superior ability to withstand drought and heat – though my own impressions of his collection are ambiguous in that respect – and he emphasizes that the water available for irrigation was at best barely sufficient this year to alleviate outright midsummer shutdown. Delayed bottling continues to be a trend at this address, so most of the single-site Smaragde were still in tank or cask when I last tasted them in June, and weren’t due for bottling until August or September 2016. (For details concerning this cooperative’s vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2015 Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Kreuzberg
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2020

Tasting notes: From a cool, gneiss site on the Danube’s Right Bank at Rossatz (which happens to be cellarmaster Frischengruber’s hometown), this leads with haunting scents suggesting gentian and iris, along with intimations of the fresh lemon, lime and apple that invigoratingly dominate the buoyant if spare palate. It may be modest in sheer length, but salt and iodine serve for some saliva-inducement and intrigue in as delightful a wine as I have thus far enjoyed from this Right Bank sector. 

Producer Commentary:
A clear indication of how effective the Domäne Wachau’s recent viticultural regimen has been is that even Grüner Veltliner Federspiel from top sites did not need to be harvested in 2015 until early October, albeit then in considerable haste. With picking for Smaragd having been delayed until the last third of that month, explained cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber, it became necessary to cull a certain accumulation of botrytis. His crew manifestly mastered that task. The best wines of this impressive collection share delightful freshness, energy and clarity, traits not to be taken for granted in 2015, and this is no doubt in part due to the same restraint in de-leafing, hedging and crop-thinning as well as the retention of ground-cooling cover crops that helped stave off prematurely high must weights. Possibly, too, a wine cooperative, drawing as it does on many small growers even within any given site, gained from lot diversity and blending options in a year when ripeness tended toward extreme homogeneity. The difference in finished alcohol between Federspiel and Smaragd bottlings is unusually narrow here this year, with nearly all of the wines falling between 12.25 and 13.5 percent. But those Federspiel bottlings I tasted (and that was most of them) displayed the levity appropriate to that category. Especially in this vintage, then, the Domäne Wachau offers oenophiles a rare and delightfully delicious (not to mention unusually affordable) opportunity to compare the characteristics conveyed by some of the Wachau’s finest sites without having to do so at Smaragd level. “Now that our improvements in the vineyards are having their effect,” noted Frischengruber, “more sites than ever are meriting single-vineyard bottlings.” He thinks Riesling was advantaged in 2015 by its superior ability to withstand drought and heat – though my own impressions of his collection are ambiguous in that respect – and he emphasizes that the water available for irrigation was at best barely sufficient this year to alleviate outright midsummer shutdown. Delayed bottling continues to be a trend at this address, so most of the single-site Smaragde were still in tank or cask when I last tasted them in June, and weren’t due for bottling until August or September 2016. (For details concerning this cooperative’s vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2015 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Kirnberg
Color: White

Score: 88.5

Drinking window: 2017 - 2020

Tasting notes: From a little-known, plateau-like site in Rossatz on the Danube’s Right Bank, this bottling delivers a compact, crushed-stone-suffused sense of extract-richness, and although rather austere in its firmness and stoniness, engenders considerable stimulation thanks to subtly bitter green herbs, zesty lime and core-inflected apple, all of which combine for a seriously persistent finish.

Producer Commentary:
A clear indication of how effective the Domäne Wachau’s recent viticultural regimen has been is that even Grüner Veltliner Federspiel from top sites did not need to be harvested in 2015 until early October, albeit then in considerable haste. With picking for Smaragd having been delayed until the last third of that month, explained cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber, it became necessary to cull a certain accumulation of botrytis. His crew manifestly mastered that task. The best wines of this impressive collection share delightful freshness, energy and clarity, traits not to be taken for granted in 2015, and this is no doubt in part due to the same restraint in de-leafing, hedging and crop-thinning as well as the retention of ground-cooling cover crops that helped stave off prematurely high must weights. Possibly, too, a wine cooperative, drawing as it does on many small growers even within any given site, gained from lot diversity and blending options in a year when ripeness tended toward extreme homogeneity. The difference in finished alcohol between Federspiel and Smaragd bottlings is unusually narrow here this year, with nearly all of the wines falling between 12.25 and 13.5 percent. But those Federspiel bottlings I tasted (and that was most of them) displayed the levity appropriate to that category. Especially in this vintage, then, the Domäne Wachau offers oenophiles a rare and delightfully delicious (not to mention unusually affordable) opportunity to compare the characteristics conveyed by some of the Wachau’s finest sites without having to do so at Smaragd level. “Now that our improvements in the vineyards are having their effect,” noted Frischengruber, “more sites than ever are meriting single-vineyard bottlings.” He thinks Riesling was advantaged in 2015 by its superior ability to withstand drought and heat – though my own impressions of his collection are ambiguous in that respect – and he emphasizes that the water available for irrigation was at best barely sufficient this year to alleviate outright midsummer shutdown. Delayed bottling continues to be a trend at this address, so most of the single-site Smaragde were still in tank or cask when I last tasted them in June, and weren’t due for bottling until August or September 2016. (For details concerning this cooperative’s vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2015 Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Liebenberg
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2020

Tasting notes: This displays an oily richness one might not associate with Federspiel, but that is consistent with the tendency of its steeply terraced, south- and southwest-facing terraces to emphasize ripe fruit and exotic aromas. Musky narcissus and peony perfume usher in a palate of surprising breadth, dominated by earthy turnip and beet with hints of muskmelon. Happily, there is still a lovely sense of lift, and the lingering finish boasts persistent juiciness, with alkaline notes adding counterpoint but not outright bitterness.

Producer Commentary:
A clear indication of how effective the Domäne Wachau’s recent viticultural regimen has been is that even Grüner Veltliner Federspiel from top sites did not need to be harvested in 2015 until early October, albeit then in considerable haste. With picking for Smaragd having been delayed until the last third of that month, explained cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber, it became necessary to cull a certain accumulation of botrytis. His crew manifestly mastered that task. The best wines of this impressive collection share delightful freshness, energy and clarity, traits not to be taken for granted in 2015, and this is no doubt in part due to the same restraint in de-leafing, hedging and crop-thinning as well as the retention of ground-cooling cover crops that helped stave off prematurely high must weights. Possibly, too, a wine cooperative, drawing as it does on many small growers even within any given site, gained from lot diversity and blending options in a year when ripeness tended toward extreme homogeneity. The difference in finished alcohol between Federspiel and Smaragd bottlings is unusually narrow here this year, with nearly all of the wines falling between 12.25 and 13.5 percent. But those Federspiel bottlings I tasted (and that was most of them) displayed the levity appropriate to that category. Especially in this vintage, then, the Domäne Wachau offers oenophiles a rare and delightfully delicious (not to mention unusually affordable) opportunity to compare the characteristics conveyed by some of the Wachau’s finest sites without having to do so at Smaragd level. “Now that our improvements in the vineyards are having their effect,” noted Frischengruber, “more sites than ever are meriting single-vineyard bottlings.” He thinks Riesling was advantaged in 2015 by its superior ability to withstand drought and heat – though my own impressions of his collection are ambiguous in that respect – and he emphasizes that the water available for irrigation was at best barely sufficient this year to alleviate outright midsummer shutdown. Delayed bottling continues to be a trend at this address, so most of the single-site Smaragde were still in tank or cask when I last tasted them in June, and weren’t due for bottling until August or September 2016. (For details concerning this cooperative’s vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2016 Riesling Federspiel Loibenberg
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2020

Tasting notes: Apricot and lime dominate on the nose and polished palate of this animating, generously juicy, refreshingly sustained and mouthwateringly salt-tinged if otherwise relatively simple bottling.

Producer Commentary:
This long exemplary and technically increasingly sophisticated co-op, heavily vested in far-flung vineyards including along the Spitzer Graben (which represents nearly half its total holdings) and in other vulnerable sectors, attempted massive action in an effort to spare vines from the three frosty late April days of 2016. Smudge pots, burning straw, sprinklers and a hovering helicopter all had a go at it. But losses were severe in several sectors and in Spitzer Graben were close to 90%. Director Roman Horvath observed that overall, Grüner Veltliner represented the salvation of the vintage, quantitatively speaking, as losses in Riesling, Neuburger, Pinot Blanc and Muskateller were close to half compared with an average year. And despite its reduced size, this vintage’s Grüner Veltliner crop yielded a generous contingent of bottlings, including – as befits the vintage’s combination of long hang time with modest must weights – no fewer than half a dozen vineyard-designated Federspiele, of which I was unfortunately only able to taste two. (Of five vineyard-designated Riesling Federspiel bottlings, I tasted four.) Picking began on September 22, but there were regular delays due to sporadic rain, and despite the small crop size, harvest was not completed until mid-November. Results confirm the high standards of this establishment. (For details concerning its vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2016 Riesling Federspiel 1000 Eimer Berg
Color: White

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2018

Tasting notes: Musky narcissus mingles with scents of lime and purple plum. The palate impression is succulent and polished but doesn’t perpetuate the floral intrigue, and the finish is relatively opaque in comparison with the performances of this bottling’s immediate stablemates.

Producer Commentary:
This long exemplary and technically increasingly sophisticated co-op, heavily vested in far-flung vineyards including along the Spitzer Graben (which represents nearly half its total holdings) and in other vulnerable sectors, attempted massive action in an effort to spare vines from the three frosty late April days of 2016. Smudge pots, burning straw, sprinklers and a hovering helicopter all had a go at it. But losses were severe in several sectors and in Spitzer Graben were close to 90%. Director Roman Horvath observed that overall, Grüner Veltliner represented the salvation of the vintage, quantitatively speaking, as losses in Riesling, Neuburger, Pinot Blanc and Muskateller were close to half compared with an average year. And despite its reduced size, this vintage’s Grüner Veltliner crop yielded a generous contingent of bottlings, including – as befits the vintage’s combination of long hang time with modest must weights – no fewer than half a dozen vineyard-designated Federspiele, of which I was unfortunately only able to taste two. (Of five vineyard-designated Riesling Federspiel bottlings, I tasted four.) Picking began on September 22, but there were regular delays due to sporadic rain, and despite the small crop size, harvest was not completed until mid-November. Results confirm the high standards of this establishment. (For details concerning its vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2013 Riesling Federspiel 100 Eimer Berg
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2018

Tasting notes: Fresh lemon, lime and honeydew melon deliver refreshing juiciness cut by rind-like bitterness. Firm in feel and incisively penetrating, this wine was an eye-squinting experience in its early months, but one that left me refreshed and exhilarated. A saliva-liberating salinity assuages the wine’s sharpness and it finishes with bracing length. (The colorful alternate name for Spitz’s Burgberg, meaning “Hill of a Thousand Buckets,” exists in several variants, including “Tausend Eimer Berg” and “Tausendeimerberg.”)

Producer Commentary:
Director Roman Horvath and cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber adeptly manage this huge and prestigious co-op; indeed, their work reveals that that description is no oxymoron. We’ve been here before, though, since the exceptional potential that could be drawn from the vast acreage and nearly 300 members formerly collectively known as the Freie Weingärtner Wachau was illustriously demonstrated under the regime of a then very young cellarmaster, Fritz Miesbauer (now running the Weingut Stadt Krems) in tandem with director Willi Klinger (now head of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board) and later Rainer Wess (now of the eponymous and impressive estate). There were a few disruptive years and weak vintages in between, but with those exceptions this co-operative has been a source of outstanding Wachau value during an era when some might argue that those two words, too, threatened to become oxymoronic.

Certain lots of 2013 Riesling Federspiel were lightly de-acidified (while remaining unusually high in acidity for their genre) but in general Frischengruber felt that the exceptionally high dry extract accumulated in this overall well-watered growing season served, or will ultimately serve, as adequate buffering. Horvath and Frischengruber began in 2013 to permit their Smaragd bottlings 10 or 11 months of élevage and the wisdom of that approach was suggested each time I tasted post-bottling. I never get around to sampling quite all of the many Riesling and Grüner Veltliner bottlings that issue from the Domäne, much less all of their wide-ranging work with diverse alternative grape varieties and their numerous experimental but commercial batches, including wines raised in newer wood or amphora.
2015 Gelber Muskateller Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2018

Tasting notes: Although this year’s Muskateller weighs in at a mere 11.5 percent alcohol, the Domäne has perpetuated their recent practice of omitting the term Federspiel (or Smaragd) on the label of their sole Muskateller bottling. Marjoram, black pepper and lemon zest pungently, penetratingly and incisively tweak the nose. Firm and lean, but with faint oiliness of texture, this finishes with invigorating cut and zest, if only modest refreshment or length.

Producer Commentary:
A clear indication of how effective the Domäne Wachau’s recent viticultural regimen has been is that even Grüner Veltliner Federspiel from top sites did not need to be harvested in 2015 until early October, albeit then in considerable haste. With picking for Smaragd having been delayed until the last third of that month, explained cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber, it became necessary to cull a certain accumulation of botrytis. His crew manifestly mastered that task. The best wines of this impressive collection share delightful freshness, energy and clarity, traits not to be taken for granted in 2015, and this is no doubt in part due to the same restraint in de-leafing, hedging and crop-thinning as well as the retention of ground-cooling cover crops that helped stave off prematurely high must weights. Possibly, too, a wine cooperative, drawing as it does on many small growers even within any given site, gained from lot diversity and blending options in a year when ripeness tended toward extreme homogeneity. The difference in finished alcohol between Federspiel and Smaragd bottlings is unusually narrow here this year, with nearly all of the wines falling between 12.25 and 13.5 percent. But those Federspiel bottlings I tasted (and that was most of them) displayed the levity appropriate to that category. Especially in this vintage, then, the Domäne Wachau offers oenophiles a rare and delightfully delicious (not to mention unusually affordable) opportunity to compare the characteristics conveyed by some of the Wachau’s finest sites without having to do so at Smaragd level. “Now that our improvements in the vineyards are having their effect,” noted Frischengruber, “more sites than ever are meriting single-vineyard bottlings.” He thinks Riesling was advantaged in 2015 by its superior ability to withstand drought and heat – though my own impressions of his collection are ambiguous in that respect – and he emphasizes that the water available for irrigation was at best barely sufficient this year to alleviate outright midsummer shutdown. Delayed bottling continues to be a trend at this address, so most of the single-site Smaragde were still in tank or cask when I last tasted them in June, and weren’t due for bottling until August or September 2016. (For details concerning this cooperative’s vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2013 Gelber Muskateller Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2018

Tasting notes: As in the corresponding wine from Jamek, this offers delightful levity at 11.5% alcohol, but its having been lightly chaptalized rules it out as Federspiel. Brightly juicy lemon and apricot are strongly tinged by rind and skin for an invigoratingly tart impression that has its counterpart in aromatic pungency. The texture is flatteringly waxy for a Muskateller, let alone one with such prominent acidity. The usual herbal dimensions of this genre seem to be strangely absent here, but the finish is full of vibrant, refreshing juiciness as well as invigorating piquancy and cut.

Producer Commentary:
Director Roman Horvath and cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber adeptly manage this huge and prestigious co-op; indeed, their work reveals that that description is no oxymoron. We’ve been here before, though, since the exceptional potential that could be drawn from the vast acreage and nearly 300 members formerly collectively known as the Freie Weingärtner Wachau was illustriously demonstrated under the regime of a then very young cellarmaster, Fritz Miesbauer (now running the Weingut Stadt Krems) in tandem with director Willi Klinger (now head of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board) and later Rainer Wess (now of the eponymous and impressive estate). There were a few disruptive years and weak vintages in between, but with those exceptions this co-operative has been a source of outstanding Wachau value during an era when some might argue that those two words, too, threatened to become oxymoronic.

Certain lots of 2013 Riesling Federspiel were lightly de-acidified (while remaining unusually high in acidity for their genre) but in general Frischengruber felt that the exceptionally high dry extract accumulated in this overall well-watered growing season served, or will ultimately serve, as adequate buffering. Horvath and Frischengruber began in 2013 to permit their Smaragd bottlings 10 or 11 months of élevage and the wisdom of that approach was suggested each time I tasted post-bottling. I never get around to sampling quite all of the many Riesling and Grüner Veltliner bottlings that issue from the Domäne, much less all of their wide-ranging work with diverse alternative grape varieties and their numerous experimental but commercial batches, including wines raised in newer wood or amphora.
2012 Riesling Smaragd Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Pink grapefruit, passion fruit and lime zest on the appealing nose. Juicy white peach and a touch of lichee add freshness on the palate. Pleasingly light and easy to drink, this riesling offers immediate pleasure.

Producer Commentary:
A number of the leading figures in the Austrian wine industry have cut their teeth here, including Willi Klinger, Fritz Miesbauer and Rainer Wess. Today it is Roman Horvath and his winemaker Heinz Frischengruber who are at the helm. There is no question that this is one of the finest co-operatives in Europe, but I still find it rather surprising that they were able to change their name from Freie Weingartner to Domane Wachau without a whisper of protest. Nonetheless, if all of the estates here consistently bottled this level of quality, the Wachau would soon be a household word in remote parts of the world. (www.domaene-wachau.at) Also recommended: 2012 Muskateller Terrassen (85), 2012 Riesling Federspiel Terrassen (86), 2012 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen (85), 2012 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen (87), 2012 Roter Traminer Reserve Setzberg (87).
2008 Riesling Smaragd Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Pale green-yellow. Inviting aromas of apricot and peach complicated by subtle flower blossom and citrus zest nuances. The crisp, refreshing vineyard peach flavor continues in the mouth, nicely lifted by vibrant acidity but also showing a creamy aspect and good body. The long, juicy, lemony finish suggests very good potential for further development in bottle. Drink 2011 to 2023.

Producer Commentary:
2008 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: M edium yellow-green. Inviting nuances of yellow apple, apricot and subtle tobacco on the nose. Apple and vineyard peach flavor are supported by vibrant acidity. A lemon flavor lingers on the finish of this crisp, versatile, food-friendly midweight, which is ideal with delicate fish dishes or grilled vegetables brushed with olive oil. Enjoy now through 2014.

Producer Commentary:
2014 Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2018

Tasting notes: Fresh, crunchy, lemon-drenched green beans dominate this refreshingly juicy, salad-like performance that finishes with admirable persistence and smoky, stony and nutty notes. The acids here are Riesling-like, even slightly aggressive, but not unripe. (The corresponding Riesling, by contrast, was rather green-apple-dominated as well as disappointingly short.)

Producer Commentary:
From an already ungenerous 2014 crop, this illustrious co-op restricted the volume it bottled under the Domäne Wachau label to little more than half of a normal year’s production. The resulting wines eloquently testify to the stringent standards that have long prevailed here, but even measured against those standards, not to mention the challenges of this vintage, the 2014s here represent an amazing achievement and reveal this co-op at the top of their game. Intriguingly, many of the wines I tasted from tank or cask in June 2015 were even clearer and more expressive when re-tasted in September, only a month or so after bottling. In keeping with very modest prevailing must weights as well as the vivacious character of 2014 raw materials, fewer Smaragd bottlings than usual were issued, but it is these that truly excel, the Rieslings quite remarkably so given what I have come to expect from 2014. As usual (despite my luxury of two tasting sessions) I did not audition quite all of this establishment’s single-vineyard Riesling and Grüner Veltliner offerings of the vintage, and sampled only a few of their numerous bottlings from other grape varieties. Incidentally, the latest in a series of Amphora-raised Rieslings that goes back to at least 2010 was among just three 2014s (all Rieslings, none vineyard-specific) that did not convince me, its prominent phenolics linked to a rather drying back-end.
2016 Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2021

Tasting notes: Green bean and olive dominate the nose and palate, where some looseness is pleasantly compensated for by textural polish and generous juiciness. This shares with a great many other Domäne Wachau vintage 2016 offerings a mouthwatering salinity, here mingled on a clear and exuberant finish with stimulating nips of pepper. Overall, this represents one of the most successful installments of this bottling that I can recall.

Producer Commentary:
This long exemplary and technically increasingly sophisticated co-op, heavily vested in far-flung vineyards including along the Spitzer Graben (which represents nearly half its total holdings) and in other vulnerable sectors, attempted massive action in an effort to spare vines from the three frosty late April days of 2016. Smudge pots, burning straw, sprinklers and a hovering helicopter all had a go at it. But losses were severe in several sectors and in Spitzer Graben were close to 90%. Director Roman Horvath observed that overall, Grüner Veltliner represented the salvation of the vintage, quantitatively speaking, as losses in Riesling, Neuburger, Pinot Blanc and Muskateller were close to half compared with an average year. And despite its reduced size, this vintage’s Grüner Veltliner crop yielded a generous contingent of bottlings, including – as befits the vintage’s combination of long hang time with modest must weights – no fewer than half a dozen vineyard-designated Federspiele, of which I was unfortunately only able to taste two. (Of five vineyard-designated Riesling Federspiel bottlings, I tasted four.) Picking began on September 22, but there were regular delays due to sporadic rain, and despite the small crop size, harvest was not completed until mid-November. Results confirm the high standards of this establishment. (For details concerning its vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2012 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Crisp apple, blossom honey and a subtle nuance of grapefruit zest on the nose. Velvety sweet melon fruit on the palate, with subtle acidity keeping the creamy texture dry. Mango, black pepper and yeasty minerals persist on the finish.

Producer Commentary:
A number of the leading figures in the Austrian wine industry have cut their teeth here, including Willi Klinger, Fritz Miesbauer and Rainer Wess. Today it is Roman Horvath and his winemaker Heinz Frischengruber who are at the helm. There is no question that this is one of the finest co-operatives in Europe, but I still find it rather surprising that they were able to change their name from Freie Weingartner to Domane Wachau without a whisper of protest. Nonetheless, if all of the estates here consistently bottled this level of quality, the Wachau would soon be a household word in remote parts of the world. (www.domaene-wachau.at) Also recommended: 2012 Muskateller Terrassen (85), 2012 Riesling Federspiel Terrassen (86), 2012 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen (85), 2012 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen (87), 2012 Roter Traminer Reserve Setzberg (87).
2013 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2023

Tasting notes: Yellow apple, wisteria and a subtle note of grapefruit zest on the smoky nose. Creamy in texture, displaying yeasty flavors of mango and white pepper, this 2013 Grüner Veltliner is bone-dry on the palate, leaving a salty mineral edge on the finish. From the rockier soils of the Achleiten vineyard, this youthful Smaragd needs more time in the bottle.

Producer Commentary:
Roman Horvath and Heinz Frischengruber have now been at the helm of this co-operative for a full decade. With 450 hectares of vineyards and annual production of three million bottles a year, it represents about one-third of the entire region and makes a wide number of wines that merit serious attention at very attractive prices.

With over a hundred different soil structures, the co-op also has the full palette of potential flavor profiles to offer, but the sheer number of different sites is sometimes difficult to manage. In the steepest sites, for example, a member farmer may spend 1,200 hours in a single hectare of vines from pruning until harvest. In the flatter blocks near the Danube, that figure can fall to as little as 150.

When I asked him about the growing interest in organic wines, Horvath indicated that the Domäne Wachau has implemented sustainable viticulture, but that going organic “would be difficult because the Wachau is monoculture.” While I would like to see the Smaragds with a touch more nerve, Horvath is more worried about physiological ripeness. “We are not worried about the alcohol levels going too high,” he added.
2014 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2022

Tasting notes: A greenhouse-like amalgam of floral and leafy scents soars from the glass, echoing on a broad and surprisingly soft, loose midpalate. Happily, this exhibits a greater sense of primary juiciness than it did from tank, along with apple and yellow tomato fruit and greater inflections of stone, iodine, thyme and floral perfume on the long finish. (At 12.9% alcohol, this nears the upper limit among any of the Domäne Wachau’s wines of the 2014 vintage.)

Producer Commentary:
From an already ungenerous 2014 crop, this illustrious co-op restricted the volume it bottled under the Domäne Wachau label to little more than half of a normal year’s production. The resulting wines eloquently testify to the stringent standards that have long prevailed here, but even measured against those standards, not to mention the challenges of this vintage, the 2014s here represent an amazing achievement and reveal this co-op at the top of their game. Intriguingly, many of the wines I tasted from tank or cask in June 2015 were even clearer and more expressive when re-tasted in September, only a month or so after bottling. In keeping with very modest prevailing must weights as well as the vivacious character of 2014 raw materials, fewer Smaragd bottlings than usual were issued, but it is these that truly excel, the Rieslings quite remarkably so given what I have come to expect from 2014. As usual (despite my luxury of two tasting sessions) I did not audition quite all of this establishment’s single-vineyard Riesling and Grüner Veltliner offerings of the vintage, and sampled only a few of their numerous bottlings from other grape varieties. Incidentally, the latest in a series of Amphora-raised Rieslings that goes back to at least 2010 was among just three 2014s (all Rieslings, none vineyard-specific) that did not convince me, its prominent phenolics linked to a rather drying back-end.
2007 Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium yellow-green. Yellow apple and lemon zest aromas are backed by delicate blossom honey and mineral nuances. Quite elegant in the mouth, displaying a juicy texture and refreshing peach fruit. A subtle honeyed element is harmoniously integrated by the wine's fine acid structure. Great finesse and the cool Spitz terroir are expressed in marvelous harmony here. Already offers abundant drinking pleasure, but will continue to gain in complexity over the next 10 to 12 years.

Producer Commentary:
The Domane Wachau, formerly called the Freie Weingartner Wachau, celebrated its 70th anniversary with one of the most successful years in its history. The Domane Wachau has established itself among the top Austrian wine producers under the management of Roman Horvath and enologist Heinz Frischengruber, and after a strategic repositioning in important international markets like Scandinavia and Great Britain, the cooperative has now set its sights on increased activity in the U.S. market. The 2007 vintage here has received much international recognition for polished and precise wines. The Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten was awarded two trophies at the world's largest independent wine competition, the International Wine Challenge in London: Best International Gruner Veltliner and Best Austrian White. Wines in the Smaragd category may be less voluptuous and concentrated than those of the previous vintage, but they are extremely elegant, with wonderful regional expression.
2008 Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium green-yellow color. Initially shy nose hints at vineyard peach, gooseberry and mineral traces with some aeration. Medium in body, with subtle vegetal nuances complicating peach and citrus flavors. Refreshing grapefruity acidity contributes spine to this vibrant and appetizing riesling, which should benefit from bottle maturation. Drink 2012 to 2023.

Producer Commentary:
2016 Riesling Smaragd Achleiten
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2024

Tasting notes: Gentian, iris, wet stone and pit-inflected white peach mingle in a delightfully subtle aromatic display. Inner-mouth florality, underlying minerality and generously juicy fruit do not let one down on the palate, which is silken-textured and glossy, but suggests more buoyancy than Smaragd classification or the wine’s 13.5% alcohol would lead you to expect. Stony, alkaline and peach kernel accents pull the lingering finish in a slightly austere direction, but there is plenty of compensatory succulence of fruit as well as sheer refreshment.

Producer Commentary:
This long exemplary and technically increasingly sophisticated co-op, heavily vested in far-flung vineyards including along the Spitzer Graben (which represents nearly half its total holdings) and in other vulnerable sectors, attempted massive action in an effort to spare vines from the three frosty late April days of 2016. Smudge pots, burning straw, sprinklers and a hovering helicopter all had a go at it. But losses were severe in several sectors and in Spitzer Graben were close to 90%. Director Roman Horvath observed that overall, Grüner Veltliner represented the salvation of the vintage, quantitatively speaking, as losses in Riesling, Neuburger, Pinot Blanc and Muskateller were close to half compared with an average year. And despite its reduced size, this vintage’s Grüner Veltliner crop yielded a generous contingent of bottlings, including – as befits the vintage’s combination of long hang time with modest must weights – no fewer than half a dozen vineyard-designated Federspiele, of which I was unfortunately only able to taste two. (Of five vineyard-designated Riesling Federspiel bottlings, I tasted four.) Picking began on September 22, but there were regular delays due to sporadic rain, and despite the small crop size, harvest was not completed until mid-November. Results confirm the high standards of this establishment. (For details concerning its vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2015 Riesling Smaragd Achleiten
Color: White

Score: 91.5

Drinking window: 2017 - 2024

Tasting notes: A sassy, bright palate brimming with white peach and fresh lime is wreathed in site-typical, iris-like floral perfume. Firm in feel, thanks to its sheer juiciness, this isn’t austere, and it finishes with a strikingly persistent and dynamic interplay of flowers, fruits and diverse mineral notes. Yes, a quick comparison will expose this as a tasting note remarkably similar to that of the corresponding Grüner Veltliner. It’s Achleiten rather than the grape variety that comes through clearly in both cases, though I expect the two bottlings to diverge increasingly as they mature.

Producer Commentary:
A clear indication of how effective the Domäne Wachau’s recent viticultural regimen has been is that even Grüner Veltliner Federspiel from top sites did not need to be harvested in 2015 until early October, albeit then in considerable haste. With picking for Smaragd having been delayed until the last third of that month, explained cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber, it became necessary to cull a certain accumulation of botrytis. His crew manifestly mastered that task. The best wines of this impressive collection share delightful freshness, energy and clarity, traits not to be taken for granted in 2015, and this is no doubt in part due to the same restraint in de-leafing, hedging and crop-thinning as well as the retention of ground-cooling cover crops that helped stave off prematurely high must weights. Possibly, too, a wine cooperative, drawing as it does on many small growers even within any given site, gained from lot diversity and blending options in a year when ripeness tended toward extreme homogeneity. The difference in finished alcohol between Federspiel and Smaragd bottlings is unusually narrow here this year, with nearly all of the wines falling between 12.25 and 13.5 percent. But those Federspiel bottlings I tasted (and that was most of them) displayed the levity appropriate to that category. Especially in this vintage, then, the Domäne Wachau offers oenophiles a rare and delightfully delicious (not to mention unusually affordable) opportunity to compare the characteristics conveyed by some of the Wachau’s finest sites without having to do so at Smaragd level. “Now that our improvements in the vineyards are having their effect,” noted Frischengruber, “more sites than ever are meriting single-vineyard bottlings.” He thinks Riesling was advantaged in 2015 by its superior ability to withstand drought and heat – though my own impressions of his collection are ambiguous in that respect – and he emphasizes that the water available for irrigation was at best barely sufficient this year to alleviate outright midsummer shutdown. Delayed bottling continues to be a trend at this address, so most of the single-site Smaragde were still in tank or cask when I last tasted them in June, and weren’t due for bottling until August or September 2016. (For details concerning this cooperative’s vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2012 Riesling Smaragd Achleiten
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Apricot and lemon zest aromas are joined by dried spice nuances. Quite elegant on the palate, displaying a juicy texture and refreshing peach flavor. A subtle honeyed element is well integrated by the wine's lively texture. Cool, nicely balanced and intense, this riesling should gain in complexity as it matures.

Producer Commentary:
A number of the leading figures in the Austrian wine industry have cut their teeth here, including Willi Klinger, Fritz Miesbauer and Rainer Wess. Today it is Roman Horvath and his winemaker Heinz Frischengruber who are at the helm. There is no question that this is one of the finest co-operatives in Europe, but I still find it rather surprising that they were able to change their name from Freie Weingartner to Domane Wachau without a whisper of protest. Nonetheless, if all of the estates here consistently bottled this level of quality, the Wachau would soon be a household word in remote parts of the world. (www.domaene-wachau.at) Also recommended: 2012 Muskateller Terrassen (85), 2012 Riesling Federspiel Terrassen (86), 2012 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen (85), 2012 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen (87), 2012 Roter Traminer Reserve Setzberg (87).
2008 Riesling Smaragd Achleiten
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium green-yellow. Classic varietal expression is displayed by aromas of peach, subtle fruit blossom and citrus zest. At once concentrated and quite elegant, with a sweet, smooth flavor of peach extract lifted by brilliant integrated acidity. Peach and apricot flavors linger impressively on the long, minerally aftertaste. Offers superb aging potential. Drink 2011 to 2023.

Producer Commentary:
2014 Riesling Smaragd Achleiten
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2022

Tasting notes: Raised in tank and bottled only at the end of August or early September, this offers a spare but happily juicy and transparent advertisement for its site. Stony, alkaline, bittersweet gentian and musky narcissus nuances mingle on a polished palate dominated by white peach and apple. Almost severe cyanic and mineral notes shimmer against a bright fruit background, making for an attention-getting and protracted finish.

Producer Commentary:
From an already ungenerous 2014 crop, this illustrious co-op restricted the volume it bottled under the Domäne Wachau label to little more than half of a normal year’s production. The resulting wines eloquently testify to the stringent standards that have long prevailed here, but even measured against those standards, not to mention the challenges of this vintage, the 2014s here represent an amazing achievement and reveal this co-op at the top of their game. Intriguingly, many of the wines I tasted from tank or cask in June 2015 were even clearer and more expressive when re-tasted in September, only a month or so after bottling. In keeping with very modest prevailing must weights as well as the vivacious character of 2014 raw materials, fewer Smaragd bottlings than usual were issued, but it is these that truly excel, the Rieslings quite remarkably so given what I have come to expect from 2014. As usual (despite my luxury of two tasting sessions) I did not audition quite all of this establishment’s single-vineyard Riesling and Grüner Veltliner offerings of the vintage, and sampled only a few of their numerous bottlings from other grape varieties. Incidentally, the latest in a series of Amphora-raised Rieslings that goes back to at least 2010 was among just three 2014s (all Rieslings, none vineyard-specific) that did not convince me, its prominent phenolics linked to a rather drying back-end.
2001 Riesling Smaragd Achleiten
Color: White

Score: 2.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: This offers a lovely counterpoint of bright citricity and creamy richness. The slate minerality offers a perfect sounding board for citrus, white peach, nut oils and herbs. Fine and penetrating. It's interesting how the terroir here dominates over grape variety, the personality of this wine being quite similar to its gruner veltliner counterpart. One is left with no question here today that Achleiten is a great site (as if there were really any doubt!) but it seems to have overachieved in this vintage. 2 stars.

Producer Commentary:
This illustrious co-operative, formerly Freiex000D Weingartner Wachau, has changed its label and its name. Domane ["doe-MAY-nae"] Wachau isx000D in fact a designation the co-op used earlier this century. Fritz Miesbauer and Rainer Wess are stillx000D calling the shots, and the wines still represent outstanding values. Sadly, the extraordinary,x000D computer-controlled technical facilities - most of them only put in place overx000D the past three years - were among the casualties of the August 2002x000D flooding. (Vin Divino) Also recommended: 2001 Gruner Veltliner Steinfeder Hochrain, 2001 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Loibenberg, 2001 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen, 2001 Riesling Federspiel Bruck, 2001 Riesling Smaragd Tausendeimerberg.
2013 Riesling Federspiel Bruck
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2017

Tasting notes: Green herb-tinged fresh apricot and lemon lend the scents and flavors of this Riesling from the cool Spitzer Graben a decidedly Muscat-like cast, to which was added a fusel hint as the wine evolved in bottle. When first tasted, this Federspiel displayed an almost severe sense of tart brightness only party assuaged by refreshing honeydew melon juiciness. But after close to 18 months in bottle, a lovely sense of interplay had evolved among fruit, crystalline mineral nuances and bittersweet nuttiness.

Producer Commentary:
Director Roman Horvath and cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber adeptly manage this huge and prestigious co-op; indeed, their work reveals that that description is no oxymoron. We’ve been here before, though, since the exceptional potential that could be drawn from the vast acreage and nearly 300 members formerly collectively known as the Freie Weingärtner Wachau was illustriously demonstrated under the regime of a then very young cellarmaster, Fritz Miesbauer (now running the Weingut Stadt Krems) in tandem with director Willi Klinger (now head of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board) and later Rainer Wess (now of the eponymous and impressive estate). There were a few disruptive years and weak vintages in between, but with those exceptions this co-operative has been a source of outstanding Wachau value during an era when some might argue that those two words, too, threatened to become oxymoronic.

Certain lots of 2013 Riesling Federspiel were lightly de-acidified (while remaining unusually high in acidity for their genre) but in general Frischengruber felt that the exceptionally high dry extract accumulated in this overall well-watered growing season served, or will ultimately serve, as adequate buffering. Horvath and Frischengruber began in 2013 to permit their Smaragd bottlings 10 or 11 months of élevage and the wisdom of that approach was suggested each time I tasted post-bottling. I never get around to sampling quite all of the many Riesling and Grüner Veltliner bottlings that issue from the Domäne, much less all of their wide-ranging work with diverse alternative grape varieties and their numerous experimental but commercial batches, including wines raised in newer wood or amphora.
2016 Riesling Federspiel Bruck
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2021

Tasting notes: A penetrating nose of apple and lime laced with pennyroyal anticipates the sappy, pungent and piquant palate impression. Barely ripe, pit-inflected apricot adds to the stimulating grip of a lively, stone-lined, mouthwateringly salt-tinged finish.

Producer Commentary:
This long exemplary and technically increasingly sophisticated co-op, heavily vested in far-flung vineyards including along the Spitzer Graben (which represents nearly half its total holdings) and in other vulnerable sectors, attempted massive action in an effort to spare vines from the three frosty late April days of 2016. Smudge pots, burning straw, sprinklers and a hovering helicopter all had a go at it. But losses were severe in several sectors and in Spitzer Graben were close to 90%. Director Roman Horvath observed that overall, Grüner Veltliner represented the salvation of the vintage, quantitatively speaking, as losses in Riesling, Neuburger, Pinot Blanc and Muskateller were close to half compared with an average year. And despite its reduced size, this vintage’s Grüner Veltliner crop yielded a generous contingent of bottlings, including – as befits the vintage’s combination of long hang time with modest must weights – no fewer than half a dozen vineyard-designated Federspiele, of which I was unfortunately only able to taste two. (Of five vineyard-designated Riesling Federspiel bottlings, I tasted four.) Picking began on September 22, but there were regular delays due to sporadic rain, and despite the small crop size, harvest was not completed until mid-November. Results confirm the high standards of this establishment. (For details concerning its vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2016 Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Kollmitz
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2022

Tasting notes: Fragrant and juicy suggestions of honeydew melon are laced with green herbs and incorporate a stimulating dose of melon rind bitterness that nicely complements the pepper on this buoyant, polished bottling’s understated but impressively persistent finish. 

Producer Commentary:
This long exemplary and technically increasingly sophisticated co-op, heavily vested in far-flung vineyards including along the Spitzer Graben (which represents nearly half its total holdings) and in other vulnerable sectors, attempted massive action in an effort to spare vines from the three frosty late April days of 2016. Smudge pots, burning straw, sprinklers and a hovering helicopter all had a go at it. But losses were severe in several sectors and in Spitzer Graben were close to 90%. Director Roman Horvath observed that overall, Grüner Veltliner represented the salvation of the vintage, quantitatively speaking, as losses in Riesling, Neuburger, Pinot Blanc and Muskateller were close to half compared with an average year. And despite its reduced size, this vintage’s Grüner Veltliner crop yielded a generous contingent of bottlings, including – as befits the vintage’s combination of long hang time with modest must weights – no fewer than half a dozen vineyard-designated Federspiele, of which I was unfortunately only able to taste two. (Of five vineyard-designated Riesling Federspiel bottlings, I tasted four.) Picking began on September 22, but there were regular delays due to sporadic rain, and despite the small crop size, harvest was not completed until mid-November. Results confirm the high standards of this establishment. (For details concerning its vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2014 Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Kollmütz
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2020

Tasting notes: Bittersweet gentian and apple blossom perfume introduce a crisp, appley, superficially Riesling-like performance. Lentil, chard and spinach well up midpalate, striking nutty and vegetal Grüner Veltliner-typical notes, all sustained through a refreshing finish.

Producer Commentary:
From an already ungenerous 2014 crop, this illustrious co-op restricted the volume it bottled under the Domäne Wachau label to little more than half of a normal year’s production. The resulting wines eloquently testify to the stringent standards that have long prevailed here, but even measured against those standards, not to mention the challenges of this vintage, the 2014s here represent an amazing achievement and reveal this co-op at the top of their game. Intriguingly, many of the wines I tasted from tank or cask in June 2015 were even clearer and more expressive when re-tasted in September, only a month or so after bottling. In keeping with very modest prevailing must weights as well as the vivacious character of 2014 raw materials, fewer Smaragd bottlings than usual were issued, but it is these that truly excel, the Rieslings quite remarkably so given what I have come to expect from 2014. As usual (despite my luxury of two tasting sessions) I did not audition quite all of this establishment’s single-vineyard Riesling and Grüner Veltliner offerings of the vintage, and sampled only a few of their numerous bottlings from other grape varieties. Incidentally, the latest in a series of Amphora-raised Rieslings that goes back to at least 2010 was among just three 2014s (all Rieslings, none vineyard-specific) that did not convince me, its prominent phenolics linked to a rather drying back-end.
2016 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Axpoint
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2024

Tasting notes: Szechuan-peppercorn- and green-herb-laced apple, Seckel pear and honeydew melon dominate on both the nose and the sappy, generously juicy palate, leading to a mouthwateringly salt-tinged finish surprisingly buoyant for a wine of 13% alcohol, and admirably transparent to herbal as well as stony nuances. 

Producer Commentary:
This long exemplary and technically increasingly sophisticated co-op, heavily vested in far-flung vineyards including along the Spitzer Graben (which represents nearly half its total holdings) and in other vulnerable sectors, attempted massive action in an effort to spare vines from the three frosty late April days of 2016. Smudge pots, burning straw, sprinklers and a hovering helicopter all had a go at it. But losses were severe in several sectors and in Spitzer Graben were close to 90%. Director Roman Horvath observed that overall, Grüner Veltliner represented the salvation of the vintage, quantitatively speaking, as losses in Riesling, Neuburger, Pinot Blanc and Muskateller were close to half compared with an average year. And despite its reduced size, this vintage’s Grüner Veltliner crop yielded a generous contingent of bottlings, including – as befits the vintage’s combination of long hang time with modest must weights – no fewer than half a dozen vineyard-designated Federspiele, of which I was unfortunately only able to taste two. (Of five vineyard-designated Riesling Federspiel bottlings, I tasted four.) Picking began on September 22, but there were regular delays due to sporadic rain, and despite the small crop size, harvest was not completed until mid-November. Results confirm the high standards of this establishment. (For details concerning its vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2015 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Axpoint
Color: White

Score: 91.5

Drinking window: 2017 - 2025

Tasting notes: Scents and flavors of lentil and green bean are allied with marine breeze, tincture of iodine and mouthwatering salinity, while fresh lime and transparent apple lend welcome juiciness, zest and crunch that carry into an impressively sustained finish. Glycerol-richness adds textural appeal without in any way diminishing this bottling’s focus, freshness, or clarity, and the sense of myriad mineral elements interacting with fruits and vegetables is fascinating and transcends the vintage norm. 

Producer Commentary:
A clear indication of how effective the Domäne Wachau’s recent viticultural regimen has been is that even Grüner Veltliner Federspiel from top sites did not need to be harvested in 2015 until early October, albeit then in considerable haste. With picking for Smaragd having been delayed until the last third of that month, explained cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber, it became necessary to cull a certain accumulation of botrytis. His crew manifestly mastered that task. The best wines of this impressive collection share delightful freshness, energy and clarity, traits not to be taken for granted in 2015, and this is no doubt in part due to the same restraint in de-leafing, hedging and crop-thinning as well as the retention of ground-cooling cover crops that helped stave off prematurely high must weights. Possibly, too, a wine cooperative, drawing as it does on many small growers even within any given site, gained from lot diversity and blending options in a year when ripeness tended toward extreme homogeneity. The difference in finished alcohol between Federspiel and Smaragd bottlings is unusually narrow here this year, with nearly all of the wines falling between 12.25 and 13.5 percent. But those Federspiel bottlings I tasted (and that was most of them) displayed the levity appropriate to that category. Especially in this vintage, then, the Domäne Wachau offers oenophiles a rare and delightfully delicious (not to mention unusually affordable) opportunity to compare the characteristics conveyed by some of the Wachau’s finest sites without having to do so at Smaragd level. “Now that our improvements in the vineyards are having their effect,” noted Frischengruber, “more sites than ever are meriting single-vineyard bottlings.” He thinks Riesling was advantaged in 2015 by its superior ability to withstand drought and heat – though my own impressions of his collection are ambiguous in that respect – and he emphasizes that the water available for irrigation was at best barely sufficient this year to alleviate outright midsummer shutdown. Delayed bottling continues to be a trend at this address, so most of the single-site Smaragde were still in tank or cask when I last tasted them in June, and weren’t due for bottling until August or September 2016. (For details concerning this cooperative’s vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2013 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Axpoint
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2022

Tasting notes: Rich bouquet of cantaloupe, white pepper and sweet tobacco. The yellow pit fruit flavors are opulent (14% alcohol) and creamy, but an undercurrent of cool freshness lends attractive balance to this Grüner Veltliner. Finishes with notes of passion fruit and yellow apple. This is approachable in its youth, but Grüner Veltliners from the deeper soils of the Axpoint site in the cooler western end of the valley also age well.

Producer Commentary:
Roman Horvath and Heinz Frischengruber have now been at the helm of this co-operative for a full decade. With 450 hectares of vineyards and annual production of three million bottles a year, it represents about one-third of the entire region and makes a wide number of wines that merit serious attention at very attractive prices.

With over a hundred different soil structures, the co-op also has the full palette of potential flavor profiles to offer, but the sheer number of different sites is sometimes difficult to manage. In the steepest sites, for example, a member farmer may spend 1,200 hours in a single hectare of vines from pruning until harvest. In the flatter blocks near the Danube, that figure can fall to as little as 150.

When I asked him about the growing interest in organic wines, Horvath indicated that the Domäne Wachau has implemented sustainable viticulture, but that going organic “would be difficult because the Wachau is monoculture.” While I would like to see the Smaragds with a touch more nerve, Horvath is more worried about physiological ripeness. “We are not worried about the alcohol levels going too high,” he added.
2016 Riesling Amphora
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2019

Tasting notes: Raised, as its name indicates, in large clay jars, this spent half a year on the skins without any added SO2. Chewy apple along with zesty lime and grapefruit make for a pungent and piquantly stimulating performance. There is palpable thickness allied to glycerol-richness, yet with compensatory bright midpalate juiciness. The prominent phenolics lend a faintly drying note to the bittersweetly nut-tinged finish, but it is otherwise admirably full of long-lasting flavor. Roman Horvath reports that his and cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber’s experiments have led them to conclude that Grüner Veltliner becomes too elevated in pH when subjected to this Riesling’s pressing and fermentative regimen. For now, I can really only guess at how this wine might develop in bottle.

Producer Commentary:
This long exemplary and technically increasingly sophisticated co-op, heavily vested in far-flung vineyards including along the Spitzer Graben (which represents nearly half its total holdings) and in other vulnerable sectors, attempted massive action in an effort to spare vines from the three frosty late April days of 2016. Smudge pots, burning straw, sprinklers and a hovering helicopter all had a go at it. But losses were severe in several sectors and in Spitzer Graben were close to 90%. Director Roman Horvath observed that overall, Grüner Veltliner represented the salvation of the vintage, quantitatively speaking, as losses in Riesling, Neuburger, Pinot Blanc and Muskateller were close to half compared with an average year. And despite its reduced size, this vintage’s Grüner Veltliner crop yielded a generous contingent of bottlings, including – as befits the vintage’s combination of long hang time with modest must weights – no fewer than half a dozen vineyard-designated Federspiele, of which I was unfortunately only able to taste two. (Of five vineyard-designated Riesling Federspiel bottlings, I tasted four.) Picking began on September 22, but there were regular delays due to sporadic rain, and despite the small crop size, harvest was not completed until mid-November. Results confirm the high standards of this establishment. (For details concerning its vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2007 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Kellerberg
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium yellow-green, with a slightly hazy appearance. Crisp apple, blossom honey and a subtle nuance of grapefruit zest on the nose, joined by marshmallow, a hint of dill, black pepper and a yeasty element in the mouth. Elegant acidity plays coyly with the sweet fruit in this dry wine, giving the texture a creamy quality. Mango, banana, pepper and minerals persist luxuriously on the finish. Drink 2009 to 2017.

Producer Commentary:
The Domane Wachau, formerly called the Freie Weingartner Wachau, celebrated its 70th anniversary with one of the most successful years in its history. The Domane Wachau has established itself among the top Austrian wine producers under the management of Roman Horvath and enologist Heinz Frischengruber, and after a strategic repositioning in important international markets like Scandinavia and Great Britain, the cooperative has now set its sights on increased activity in the U.S. market. The 2007 vintage here has received much international recognition for polished and precise wines. The Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten was awarded two trophies at the world's largest independent wine competition, the International Wine Challenge in London: Best International Gruner Veltliner and Best Austrian White. Wines in the Smaragd category may be less voluptuous and concentrated than those of the previous vintage, but they are extremely elegant, with wonderful regional expression.
2014 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Kellerberg
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2026

Tasting notes: Gorgeously scented with buddleia and Madagascar peppercorn, this cask-raised Kellerberg displays Riesling-like brightness to the lime and papaya on the palate. Tart rhubarb, tingling and zesty grapefruit peel, crushed stone, smoky Latakia tobacco and incisive peppercorn team up for a downright mouth-shaking performance, yet one of refined length. There is a hint of wood from the cask, but that has integrated well since bottling, no doubt in large part because the wine is extract-rich.

Producer Commentary:
From an already ungenerous 2014 crop, this illustrious co-op restricted the volume it bottled under the Domäne Wachau label to little more than half of a normal year’s production. The resulting wines eloquently testify to the stringent standards that have long prevailed here, but even measured against those standards, not to mention the challenges of this vintage, the 2014s here represent an amazing achievement and reveal this co-op at the top of their game. Intriguingly, many of the wines I tasted from tank or cask in June 2015 were even clearer and more expressive when re-tasted in September, only a month or so after bottling. In keeping with very modest prevailing must weights as well as the vivacious character of 2014 raw materials, fewer Smaragd bottlings than usual were issued, but it is these that truly excel, the Rieslings quite remarkably so given what I have come to expect from 2014. As usual (despite my luxury of two tasting sessions) I did not audition quite all of this establishment’s single-vineyard Riesling and Grüner Veltliner offerings of the vintage, and sampled only a few of their numerous bottlings from other grape varieties. Incidentally, the latest in a series of Amphora-raised Rieslings that goes back to at least 2010 was among just three 2014s (all Rieslings, none vineyard-specific) that did not convince me, its prominent phenolics linked to a rather drying back-end.
2013 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Kellerberg
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2023

Tasting notes: Seductive bouquet features yellow apple, white pepper and clove. At once rich and juicy, with flavors of cantaloupe and pistachio, the 2013 Kellerberg displays very good spicy intensity on the palate. Impressive for its depth, this Grüner Veltliner comes from the warmer eastern end of the Wachau.

Producer Commentary:
Roman Horvath and Heinz Frischengruber have now been at the helm of this co-operative for a full decade. With 450 hectares of vineyards and annual production of three million bottles a year, it represents about one-third of the entire region and makes a wide number of wines that merit serious attention at very attractive prices.

With over a hundred different soil structures, the co-op also has the full palette of potential flavor profiles to offer, but the sheer number of different sites is sometimes difficult to manage. In the steepest sites, for example, a member farmer may spend 1,200 hours in a single hectare of vines from pruning until harvest. In the flatter blocks near the Danube, that figure can fall to as little as 150.

When I asked him about the growing interest in organic wines, Horvath indicated that the Domäne Wachau has implemented sustainable viticulture, but that going organic “would be difficult because the Wachau is monoculture.” While I would like to see the Smaragds with a touch more nerve, Horvath is more worried about physiological ripeness. “We are not worried about the alcohol levels going too high,” he added.
2008 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Kellerberg
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Slightly hazy medium green-yellow color. A refreshing bouquet of redcurrant, mandarin orange and grapefruit zest entices the nose. This full-bodied wine is packed with minerals and elegantly poised thanks to a steely core of acidity that enlivens its exotic fruit components. Finishes racy and long, with noteworthy finesse. A very promising wine, for consumption between 2011 and 2023.

Producer Commentary:
2003 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Kellerberg
Color: White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: A superb and classic Kellerberg nose features Szechuan peppercorn, heady florality, rhubarb, green beans, melon, tropical fruits and ocean breeze. Voluminous and rich on the palate, with effusive inner-mouth esters and florals billowing into a powerful, broad finish. An example, Grossinger suggests, of a wine that benefited from the late October frost. 2 stars.

Producer Commentary:
The illustrious Freie Weingartner Wachau now bottles most of their wines, including those exported to the U. S. , under the name "Domane Wachau. "Under the direction of Roland Grossinger and Hannes Donabaum, the team here has again produced a collection studded with excellent values, although certain wines disappointed-including, surprisingly, a Smaragd Achleiten which, while aromatically clear and pure, failed to project much personality. The 2003 harvest began in late August, the earliest in this cooperative's history, in an effort to ensure a stock of light and refreshing Steinfeder wines. But riesling, relates Grossinger, lagged far behind gruner veltliner in maturation, and in rare instances was still stuck at Steinfeder level in October, even as the first gruner veltliner at Smaragd level was being harvested. At most two or three hours in the press represented more than enough skin contact this year, Grossinger said. (Vin Divino, Chicago, IL) Also recommended: 2003 Gelber Muskateller Steinfeder (under the Freie Weingartner label), 2003 Riesling Steinfeder Terrassen, 2003 Gruner Veltliner Alte Reben, 2003 Riesling/Muskateller Clarissima.
2015 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Kellerberg
Color: White

Score: 89.5

Drinking window: 2017 - 2022

Tasting notes: Pink grapefruit and papaya, lime, quince and pineapple inform one of the rare Domäne Wachau wines of this collection whose forwardly ripe fruitiness genuinely screams “2015!” These elements combine for a luscious, glycerol-rich, expansive midpalate nevertheless possessed of ample primary juiciness. The finish, though, is slightly diffuse and wanting a bit for site-typical or indeed varietally typical flavors. Perhaps this would have been better if picked slightly sooner. Having reached 13.9 percent alcohol, it’s an outlier in the present collection, though thankfully, there is no corresponding heat or roughness. Perhaps the wine will gain clarity post-bottling.

Producer Commentary:
A clear indication of how effective the Domäne Wachau’s recent viticultural regimen has been is that even Grüner Veltliner Federspiel from top sites did not need to be harvested in 2015 until early October, albeit then in considerable haste. With picking for Smaragd having been delayed until the last third of that month, explained cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber, it became necessary to cull a certain accumulation of botrytis. His crew manifestly mastered that task. The best wines of this impressive collection share delightful freshness, energy and clarity, traits not to be taken for granted in 2015, and this is no doubt in part due to the same restraint in de-leafing, hedging and crop-thinning as well as the retention of ground-cooling cover crops that helped stave off prematurely high must weights. Possibly, too, a wine cooperative, drawing as it does on many small growers even within any given site, gained from lot diversity and blending options in a year when ripeness tended toward extreme homogeneity. The difference in finished alcohol between Federspiel and Smaragd bottlings is unusually narrow here this year, with nearly all of the wines falling between 12.25 and 13.5 percent. But those Federspiel bottlings I tasted (and that was most of them) displayed the levity appropriate to that category. Especially in this vintage, then, the Domäne Wachau offers oenophiles a rare and delightfully delicious (not to mention unusually affordable) opportunity to compare the characteristics conveyed by some of the Wachau’s finest sites without having to do so at Smaragd level. “Now that our improvements in the vineyards are having their effect,” noted Frischengruber, “more sites than ever are meriting single-vineyard bottlings.” He thinks Riesling was advantaged in 2015 by its superior ability to withstand drought and heat – though my own impressions of his collection are ambiguous in that respect – and he emphasizes that the water available for irrigation was at best barely sufficient this year to alleviate outright midsummer shutdown. Delayed bottling continues to be a trend at this address, so most of the single-site Smaragde were still in tank or cask when I last tasted them in June, and weren’t due for bottling until August or September 2016. (For details concerning this cooperative’s vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2002 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Kellerberg
Color: White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Explosively tropical aromatics. Banana and mango fruit on the palate, with bittersweet Szechuan peppercorn, salty high notes, and site-typical iron filings. Voluminous but heat-free; glyceral, rich and clinging. Certainly shows that this organization can still turn out something fully representative of the Wachau's best sites at a reasonable price. 2 stars.

Producer Commentary:
This consistently quality-conscious co-operative, formerly called Freie Weingartner Wachau, has parted ways with its young former winemaker/directors, Fritz Miesbauer and Rainer Wess.Long-time cellarmaster Hannes Donabaum will step back into the role of winemaker.To what extent, if any, the decidedly mixed results here this year (lack of clarity, astringency, and alcoholic heat being frequent culprits) should be traced to these changes in personnel is as yet difficult to assess.Certainly 2002 was a vintage whose inherent challenges could foil any co-op consisting of more than 600 small farmers.In addition, certain of the technologically sophisticated controls in the cellar here were rendered at least temporarily inoperative by the flood.All this being said, the several best wines here this year still represent stunning values.(Vin Divino, Chicago, IL) Also recommended: 2002 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen, 2002 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten.
2013 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Kellerberg
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2025

Tasting notes: Roasted rutabaga, sweet-smoky burley tobacco, crushed stone, black pepper and a hint of carob make for attractively dark and complex aromatic and palate shadings. While voluminous and glossy, this Veltliner retains bright primary juiciness. Grapefruit zest adds invigorating piquancy and papaya a lusciously fruity element. There is a slightly rustic graininess here but, as in the corresponding Riesling, that is allied to palpable density, saliva-drawing salinity and a finish of impressive grip.

Producer Commentary:
Director Roman Horvath and cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber adeptly manage this huge and prestigious co-op; indeed, their work reveals that that description is no oxymoron. We’ve been here before, though, since the exceptional potential that could be drawn from the vast acreage and nearly 300 members formerly collectively known as the Freie Weingärtner Wachau was illustriously demonstrated under the regime of a then very young cellarmaster, Fritz Miesbauer (now running the Weingut Stadt Krems) in tandem with director Willi Klinger (now head of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board) and later Rainer Wess (now of the eponymous and impressive estate). There were a few disruptive years and weak vintages in between, but with those exceptions this co-operative has been a source of outstanding Wachau value during an era when some might argue that those two words, too, threatened to become oxymoronic.

Certain lots of 2013 Riesling Federspiel were lightly de-acidified (while remaining unusually high in acidity for their genre) but in general Frischengruber felt that the exceptionally high dry extract accumulated in this overall well-watered growing season served, or will ultimately serve, as adequate buffering. Horvath and Frischengruber began in 2013 to permit their Smaragd bottlings 10 or 11 months of élevage and the wisdom of that approach was suggested each time I tasted post-bottling. I never get around to sampling quite all of the many Riesling and Grüner Veltliner bottlings that issue from the Domäne, much less all of their wide-ranging work with diverse alternative grape varieties and their numerous experimental but commercial batches, including wines raised in newer wood or amphora.
2013 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2020

Tasting notes: Nutty, bitter-edged but stimulatingly crunchy dark leafy greens dominate the proceedings in this full-bodied (13.5% alcohol) exposé of Grüner Veltliner’s darker, earthier side. A subtle oiliness of texture conveys an incipient sense of richness without heaviness. Beet root, caramelized turnip and rind-tinged muskmelon emerge on the palate as the wine opens, and a welcome lick of salt and dusting of pepper invigorate the taste buds on the sustained, clear finish. So don’t say one can’t experience the character of Wachau Smaragd without shelling out forty dollars or more.

Producer Commentary:
Director Roman Horvath and cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber adeptly manage this huge and prestigious co-op; indeed, their work reveals that that description is no oxymoron. We’ve been here before, though, since the exceptional potential that could be drawn from the vast acreage and nearly 300 members formerly collectively known as the Freie Weingärtner Wachau was illustriously demonstrated under the regime of a then very young cellarmaster, Fritz Miesbauer (now running the Weingut Stadt Krems) in tandem with director Willi Klinger (now head of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board) and later Rainer Wess (now of the eponymous and impressive estate). There were a few disruptive years and weak vintages in between, but with those exceptions this co-operative has been a source of outstanding Wachau value during an era when some might argue that those two words, too, threatened to become oxymoronic.

Certain lots of 2013 Riesling Federspiel were lightly de-acidified (while remaining unusually high in acidity for their genre) but in general Frischengruber felt that the exceptionally high dry extract accumulated in this overall well-watered growing season served, or will ultimately serve, as adequate buffering. Horvath and Frischengruber began in 2013 to permit their Smaragd bottlings 10 or 11 months of élevage and the wisdom of that approach was suggested each time I tasted post-bottling. I never get around to sampling quite all of the many Riesling and Grüner Veltliner bottlings that issue from the Domäne, much less all of their wide-ranging work with diverse alternative grape varieties and their numerous experimental but commercial batches, including wines raised in newer wood or amphora.
2015 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2017

Tasting notes: Bottled in May 2016, this features artichoke and green bean both on the nose and on a full, slightly diffuse palate. It could be that a bit too much botrytis material was allowed into it, although finished alcohol is only 13 percent. There is a modicum of welcome juiciness as well as considerable persistence to the finish, but significant bitterness as well.

Producer Commentary:
A clear indication of how effective the Domäne Wachau’s recent viticultural regimen has been is that even Grüner Veltliner Federspiel from top sites did not need to be harvested in 2015 until early October, albeit then in considerable haste. With picking for Smaragd having been delayed until the last third of that month, explained cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber, it became necessary to cull a certain accumulation of botrytis. His crew manifestly mastered that task. The best wines of this impressive collection share delightful freshness, energy and clarity, traits not to be taken for granted in 2015, and this is no doubt in part due to the same restraint in de-leafing, hedging and crop-thinning as well as the retention of ground-cooling cover crops that helped stave off prematurely high must weights. Possibly, too, a wine cooperative, drawing as it does on many small growers even within any given site, gained from lot diversity and blending options in a year when ripeness tended toward extreme homogeneity. The difference in finished alcohol between Federspiel and Smaragd bottlings is unusually narrow here this year, with nearly all of the wines falling between 12.25 and 13.5 percent. But those Federspiel bottlings I tasted (and that was most of them) displayed the levity appropriate to that category. Especially in this vintage, then, the Domäne Wachau offers oenophiles a rare and delightfully delicious (not to mention unusually affordable) opportunity to compare the characteristics conveyed by some of the Wachau’s finest sites without having to do so at Smaragd level. “Now that our improvements in the vineyards are having their effect,” noted Frischengruber, “more sites than ever are meriting single-vineyard bottlings.” He thinks Riesling was advantaged in 2015 by its superior ability to withstand drought and heat – though my own impressions of his collection are ambiguous in that respect – and he emphasizes that the water available for irrigation was at best barely sufficient this year to alleviate outright midsummer shutdown. Delayed bottling continues to be a trend at this address, so most of the single-site Smaragde were still in tank or cask when I last tasted them in June, and weren’t due for bottling until August or September 2016. (For details concerning this cooperative’s vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2013 Riesling Federspiel Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2017

Tasting notes: Audaciously intense scents and flavors of fresh lime, apple and green herbs come off as somewhat Muscat-like, a description though that also applies to an invigoratingly snappy, almost brusque finish. But considerable sense of primary juiciness as well as some mossy intrigue developed during the second year in bottle. This represents a lot of concentration and energy for the price.

Producer Commentary:
Director Roman Horvath and cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber adeptly manage this huge and prestigious co-op; indeed, their work reveals that that description is no oxymoron. We’ve been here before, though, since the exceptional potential that could be drawn from the vast acreage and nearly 300 members formerly collectively known as the Freie Weingärtner Wachau was illustriously demonstrated under the regime of a then very young cellarmaster, Fritz Miesbauer (now running the Weingut Stadt Krems) in tandem with director Willi Klinger (now head of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board) and later Rainer Wess (now of the eponymous and impressive estate). There were a few disruptive years and weak vintages in between, but with those exceptions this co-operative has been a source of outstanding Wachau value during an era when some might argue that those two words, too, threatened to become oxymoronic.

Certain lots of 2013 Riesling Federspiel were lightly de-acidified (while remaining unusually high in acidity for their genre) but in general Frischengruber felt that the exceptionally high dry extract accumulated in this overall well-watered growing season served, or will ultimately serve, as adequate buffering. Horvath and Frischengruber began in 2013 to permit their Smaragd bottlings 10 or 11 months of élevage and the wisdom of that approach was suggested each time I tasted post-bottling. I never get around to sampling quite all of the many Riesling and Grüner Veltliner bottlings that issue from the Domäne, much less all of their wide-ranging work with diverse alternative grape varieties and their numerous experimental but commercial batches, including wines raised in newer wood or amphora.
2008 Riesling Federspiel Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium yellow-green. The nose exhibits good intensity, with aromas of peach, mango, orange zest and wet slate. Medium in body and nicely delineated, with brisk acid structure framing the crisp green apple, lime and grapefruit flavors. Finishes moderately long, with an enticing citrus quality.

Producer Commentary:
2001 Riesling Federspiel Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 1.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Lovely aroma of redcurrant, woodsmoke and lime reminds one a bit of the Nahe. Dusty, tactile mineral character in the mouth is allied to a doughy texture. This certainly pushes Federspiel in the direction of Smaragd. Limey citricity and chalky-stony minerality dominate the strong, bright finish. 1 star.

Producer Commentary:
This illustrious co-operative, formerly Freiex000D Weingartner Wachau, has changed its label and its name. Domane ["doe-MAY-nae"] Wachau isx000D in fact a designation the co-op used earlier this century. Fritz Miesbauer and Rainer Wess are stillx000D calling the shots, and the wines still represent outstanding values. Sadly, the extraordinary,x000D computer-controlled technical facilities - most of them only put in place overx000D the past three years - were among the casualties of the August 2002x000D flooding. (Vin Divino) Also recommended: 2001 Gruner Veltliner Steinfeder Hochrain, 2001 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Loibenberg, 2001 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen, 2001 Riesling Federspiel Bruck, 2001 Riesling Smaragd Tausendeimerberg.
2007 Riesling Federspiel Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Pale green-yellow. Subtle blossom honey and hints of pineapple, mango and lime zest are all displayed on the reticent nose. A medium-bodied wine with flavors of peach and mango, and a refreshing acid structure giving the wine considerable class. Finishes with honey and slightly salty minerals. Drink now to 2012.

Producer Commentary:
The Domane Wachau, formerly called the Freie Weingartner Wachau, celebrated its 70th anniversary with one of the most successful years in its history. The Domane Wachau has established itself among the top Austrian wine producers under the management of Roman Horvath and enologist Heinz Frischengruber, and after a strategic repositioning in important international markets like Scandinavia and Great Britain, the cooperative has now set its sights on increased activity in the U.S. market. The 2007 vintage here has received much international recognition for polished and precise wines. The Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten was awarded two trophies at the world's largest independent wine competition, the International Wine Challenge in London: Best International Gruner Veltliner and Best Austrian White. Wines in the Smaragd category may be less voluptuous and concentrated than those of the previous vintage, but they are extremely elegant, with wonderful regional expression.
2016 Riesling Federspiel Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2019

Tasting notes: Lime and cassis are coolingly laced with mint on a forward nose and a subtly oily but generously juicy palate. This finishes with satisfying length and ample refreshment, albeit relative simplicity.

Producer Commentary:
This long exemplary and technically increasingly sophisticated co-op, heavily vested in far-flung vineyards including along the Spitzer Graben (which represents nearly half its total holdings) and in other vulnerable sectors, attempted massive action in an effort to spare vines from the three frosty late April days of 2016. Smudge pots, burning straw, sprinklers and a hovering helicopter all had a go at it. But losses were severe in several sectors and in Spitzer Graben were close to 90%. Director Roman Horvath observed that overall, Grüner Veltliner represented the salvation of the vintage, quantitatively speaking, as losses in Riesling, Neuburger, Pinot Blanc and Muskateller were close to half compared with an average year. And despite its reduced size, this vintage’s Grüner Veltliner crop yielded a generous contingent of bottlings, including – as befits the vintage’s combination of long hang time with modest must weights – no fewer than half a dozen vineyard-designated Federspiele, of which I was unfortunately only able to taste two. (Of five vineyard-designated Riesling Federspiel bottlings, I tasted four.) Picking began on September 22, but there were regular delays due to sporadic rain, and despite the small crop size, harvest was not completed until mid-November. Results confirm the high standards of this establishment. (For details concerning its vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2003 Riesling Federspiel Terrassen
Color: White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Lime fruit and wet stone aromas. Shows a cool, refreshing character in the mouth that's unusual for the vintage; nicely proportional and sleek, with substantial salty finishing traces. Excellent value.

Producer Commentary:
The illustrious Freie Weingartner Wachau now bottles most of their wines, including those exported to the U. S. , under the name "Domane Wachau. "Under the direction of Roland Grossinger and Hannes Donabaum, the team here has again produced a collection studded with excellent values, although certain wines disappointed-including, surprisingly, a Smaragd Achleiten which, while aromatically clear and pure, failed to project much personality. The 2003 harvest began in late August, the earliest in this cooperative's history, in an effort to ensure a stock of light and refreshing Steinfeder wines. But riesling, relates Grossinger, lagged far behind gruner veltliner in maturation, and in rare instances was still stuck at Steinfeder level in October, even as the first gruner veltliner at Smaragd level was being harvested. At most two or three hours in the press represented more than enough skin contact this year, Grossinger said. (Vin Divino, Chicago, IL) Also recommended: 2003 Gelber Muskateller Steinfeder (under the Freie Weingartner label), 2003 Riesling Steinfeder Terrassen, 2003 Gruner Veltliner Alte Reben, 2003 Riesling/Muskateller Clarissima.
2003 Riesling Smaragd Kellerberg
Color: White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Intense apricot aromatics with pungent lime zest and apricot kernel accents. The palate impression is glossy, open-knit, and almost exaggerated in ripeness but remains juicy and satisfying even if its salted apricot finish is demure when compared with the nose. 1 star.

Producer Commentary:
The illustrious Freie Weingartner Wachau now bottles most of their wines, including those exported to the U. S. , under the name "Domane Wachau. "Under the direction of Roland Grossinger and Hannes Donabaum, the team here has again produced a collection studded with excellent values, although certain wines disappointed-including, surprisingly, a Smaragd Achleiten which, while aromatically clear and pure, failed to project much personality. The 2003 harvest began in late August, the earliest in this cooperative's history, in an effort to ensure a stock of light and refreshing Steinfeder wines. But riesling, relates Grossinger, lagged far behind gruner veltliner in maturation, and in rare instances was still stuck at Steinfeder level in October, even as the first gruner veltliner at Smaragd level was being harvested. At most two or three hours in the press represented more than enough skin contact this year, Grossinger said. (Vin Divino, Chicago, IL) Also recommended: 2003 Gelber Muskateller Steinfeder (under the Freie Weingartner label), 2003 Riesling Steinfeder Terrassen, 2003 Gruner Veltliner Alte Reben, 2003 Riesling/Muskateller Clarissima.
2015 Riesling Smaragd Kellerberg
Color: White

Score: 89.5

Drinking window: 2017 - 2020

Tasting notes: As with the corresponding Grüner Veltliner, it seems as though the Domäne might have allowed fruit from Kellerberg to get a bit too ripe or botrytis-inflected. Still, what we have here is imposing in its way. Ripe peach and apple on the nose are joined on a firm but full and subtly oily palate by zesty lime and lemon that lend brightness as well as cheek-tugging phenolics. The finish, while lacking the clarity that characterizes most wines in the present collection, is grippingly piquant and hints at site-typical stone and pepper. 

Producer Commentary:
A clear indication of how effective the Domäne Wachau’s recent viticultural regimen has been is that even Grüner Veltliner Federspiel from top sites did not need to be harvested in 2015 until early October, albeit then in considerable haste. With picking for Smaragd having been delayed until the last third of that month, explained cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber, it became necessary to cull a certain accumulation of botrytis. His crew manifestly mastered that task. The best wines of this impressive collection share delightful freshness, energy and clarity, traits not to be taken for granted in 2015, and this is no doubt in part due to the same restraint in de-leafing, hedging and crop-thinning as well as the retention of ground-cooling cover crops that helped stave off prematurely high must weights. Possibly, too, a wine cooperative, drawing as it does on many small growers even within any given site, gained from lot diversity and blending options in a year when ripeness tended toward extreme homogeneity. The difference in finished alcohol between Federspiel and Smaragd bottlings is unusually narrow here this year, with nearly all of the wines falling between 12.25 and 13.5 percent. But those Federspiel bottlings I tasted (and that was most of them) displayed the levity appropriate to that category. Especially in this vintage, then, the Domäne Wachau offers oenophiles a rare and delightfully delicious (not to mention unusually affordable) opportunity to compare the characteristics conveyed by some of the Wachau’s finest sites without having to do so at Smaragd level. “Now that our improvements in the vineyards are having their effect,” noted Frischengruber, “more sites than ever are meriting single-vineyard bottlings.” He thinks Riesling was advantaged in 2015 by its superior ability to withstand drought and heat – though my own impressions of his collection are ambiguous in that respect – and he emphasizes that the water available for irrigation was at best barely sufficient this year to alleviate outright midsummer shutdown. Delayed bottling continues to be a trend at this address, so most of the single-site Smaragde were still in tank or cask when I last tasted them in June, and weren’t due for bottling until August or September 2016. (For details concerning this cooperative’s vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2013 Riesling Smaragd Kellerberg
Color: White

Score: 91.5

Drinking window: 2015 - 2025

Tasting notes: Elderberry, wet rock, pine nuts and lime zest on the alluring, aromatic nose. Tightly knit on the palate, with a firm spine of acidity giving this Riesling solid underlying structure. At once charming and ageworthy, the Kellerberg Smaragd finishes with apricot pit and mineral notes that provide it with the most character of the 2013 Rieslings that I tasted here.

Producer Commentary:
Roman Horvath and Heinz Frischengruber have now been at the helm of this co-operative for a full decade. With 450 hectares of vineyards and annual production of three million bottles a year, it represents about one-third of the entire region and makes a wide number of wines that merit serious attention at very attractive prices.

With over a hundred different soil structures, the co-op also has the full palette of potential flavor profiles to offer, but the sheer number of different sites is sometimes difficult to manage. In the steepest sites, for example, a member farmer may spend 1,200 hours in a single hectare of vines from pruning until harvest. In the flatter blocks near the Danube, that figure can fall to as little as 150.

When I asked him about the growing interest in organic wines, Horvath indicated that the Domäne Wachau has implemented sustainable viticulture, but that going organic “would be difficult because the Wachau is monoculture.” While I would like to see the Smaragds with a touch more nerve, Horvath is more worried about physiological ripeness. “We are not worried about the alcohol levels going too high,” he added.
2001 Riesling Smaragd Kellerberg
Color: White

Score: 1.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Ripe pear, coffee and black pepper aromas. Meaty, earthy and deeply rich in the mouth. Rich and long if rather unevolved. (The Loibenberg Riesling Smaragd, by contrast, was aromatically ripe and forceful, but brought up a bit short and tart by acids and astringency.) 1 star.

Producer Commentary:
This illustrious co-operative, formerly Freiex000D Weingartner Wachau, has changed its label and its name. Domane ["doe-MAY-nae"] Wachau isx000D in fact a designation the co-op used earlier this century. Fritz Miesbauer and Rainer Wess are stillx000D calling the shots, and the wines still represent outstanding values. Sadly, the extraordinary,x000D computer-controlled technical facilities - most of them only put in place overx000D the past three years - were among the casualties of the August 2002x000D flooding. (Vin Divino) Also recommended: 2001 Gruner Veltliner Steinfeder Hochrain, 2001 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Loibenberg, 2001 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen, 2001 Riesling Federspiel Bruck, 2001 Riesling Smaragd Tausendeimerberg.
2016 Riesling Smaragd Kellerberg
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2023

Tasting notes: Scents of peach and fig mingle with intimations of crushed stone and black pepper. The palate is full and glossy and generously juicy, but strongly stony and incisively peppery notes carry over into a seriously sustained finish. 

Producer Commentary:
This long exemplary and technically increasingly sophisticated co-op, heavily vested in far-flung vineyards including along the Spitzer Graben (which represents nearly half its total holdings) and in other vulnerable sectors, attempted massive action in an effort to spare vines from the three frosty late April days of 2016. Smudge pots, burning straw, sprinklers and a hovering helicopter all had a go at it. But losses were severe in several sectors and in Spitzer Graben were close to 90%. Director Roman Horvath observed that overall, Grüner Veltliner represented the salvation of the vintage, quantitatively speaking, as losses in Riesling, Neuburger, Pinot Blanc and Muskateller were close to half compared with an average year. And despite its reduced size, this vintage’s Grüner Veltliner crop yielded a generous contingent of bottlings, including – as befits the vintage’s combination of long hang time with modest must weights – no fewer than half a dozen vineyard-designated Federspiele, of which I was unfortunately only able to taste two. (Of five vineyard-designated Riesling Federspiel bottlings, I tasted four.) Picking began on September 22, but there were regular delays due to sporadic rain, and despite the small crop size, harvest was not completed until mid-November. Results confirm the high standards of this establishment. (For details concerning its vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)
2014 Riesling Smaragd Kellerberg
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2024

Tasting notes: Raised in cask and not bottled until summer’s end, this bursts with juicy, zesty fresh grapefruit and lime. Ashen, saline and peppery notes add interest and invigoration through an impressively persistent finish. The feel is firm and palpably dense as well as glycerol-rich, yet at just 12.5% alcohol, this energetic effort comes off as buoyant.

Producer Commentary:
From an already ungenerous 2014 crop, this illustrious co-op restricted the volume it bottled under the Domäne Wachau label to little more than half of a normal year’s production. The resulting wines eloquently testify to the stringent standards that have long prevailed here, but even measured against those standards, not to mention the challenges of this vintage, the 2014s here represent an amazing achievement and reveal this co-op at the top of their game. Intriguingly, many of the wines I tasted from tank or cask in June 2015 were even clearer and more expressive when re-tasted in September, only a month or so after bottling. In keeping with very modest prevailing must weights as well as the vivacious character of 2014 raw materials, fewer Smaragd bottlings than usual were issued, but it is these that truly excel, the Rieslings quite remarkably so given what I have come to expect from 2014. As usual (despite my luxury of two tasting sessions) I did not audition quite all of this establishment’s single-vineyard Riesling and Grüner Veltliner offerings of the vintage, and sampled only a few of their numerous bottlings from other grape varieties. Incidentally, the latest in a series of Amphora-raised Rieslings that goes back to at least 2010 was among just three 2014s (all Rieslings, none vineyard-specific) that did not convince me, its prominent phenolics linked to a rather drying back-end.
2013 Riesling Smaragd Kellerberg
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2025

Tasting notes: Bittersweet zesty grapefruit and orange allied with rind-tinged honeydew melon and site-typical Szechuan pepper smokiness make for a nose-tweaking aroma and an invigorating, gripping follow-through. Palpably dense and glycerol-rich though faintly grainy in texture, this Riesling evinces no heat or heaviness. 

Producer Commentary:
Director Roman Horvath and cellarmaster Heinz Frischengruber adeptly manage this huge and prestigious co-op; indeed, their work reveals that that description is no oxymoron. We’ve been here before, though, since the exceptional potential that could be drawn from the vast acreage and nearly 300 members formerly collectively known as the Freie Weingärtner Wachau was illustriously demonstrated under the regime of a then very young cellarmaster, Fritz Miesbauer (now running the Weingut Stadt Krems) in tandem with director Willi Klinger (now head of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board) and later Rainer Wess (now of the eponymous and impressive estate). There were a few disruptive years and weak vintages in between, but with those exceptions this co-operative has been a source of outstanding Wachau value during an era when some might argue that those two words, too, threatened to become oxymoronic.

Certain lots of 2013 Riesling Federspiel were lightly de-acidified (while remaining unusually high in acidity for their genre) but in general Frischengruber felt that the exceptionally high dry extract accumulated in this overall well-watered growing season served, or will ultimately serve, as adequate buffering. Horvath and Frischengruber began in 2013 to permit their Smaragd bottlings 10 or 11 months of élevage and the wisdom of that approach was suggested each time I tasted post-bottling. I never get around to sampling quite all of the many Riesling and Grüner Veltliner bottlings that issue from the Domäne, much less all of their wide-ranging work with diverse alternative grape varieties and their numerous experimental but commercial batches, including wines raised in newer wood or amphora.

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