“One of the icon wine producers of Austria with one of the icon wine labels of the wine world,” wrote Mike Bennie of The Wine Front earlier this year, adding: “These are excellent wines.”
We’re on the fabulous ‘15s now, though it was one of Knoll’s 2014 Grüners that Bennie was talking about. Still, he’s bang on when it comes to the respect that Emmerich Knoll commands – not just on account of the forbidding label – and the brilliance of these aromatic whites.
There’s an element of truth to the notion that the famous names of the Wachau don’t start cheap. However, it’s also clear that the best are expressive and precise right out of the blocks. Take Wine Advocate’s Stephan Reinhardt on the Loibner Riesling Federspiel: “A beauty that would be a cash cow in any restaurant that offers it by the glass. Drink it young, but calculate a bottle per person.” Or, indeed, the Grüner Veltliner Steinfeder from Loiben: “a stunningly characterful Veltliner in the elegant and aromatic Knoll style”.
Behind the dramatic apparition of Saint Urban lie definition and intrigue that grows as you move up the scale to the single vineyards and Vinothek bottlings. Thus the 2015 Riesling Vinothekfüllung is “a powerful and concentrated Riesling with a piquant acidity and a remarkable elegance and tension”, while the GV from Loibenberg is “a stunning GV that is pretty coolish and finesse-full, not just for the vintage but also the vineyard”.
THE WINES
2015 Emmerich Knoll Loibner Riesling Federspiel RRP $53
The 2015 Loibner Riesling Federspiel is lovely aromatic and ripe on the elegant and very distinguished nose (as if it were a Muskateller). Medium-bodied, round and piquant this is an expressive, salty and stimulating Riesling that’s just perfect to drink today. With 12.5% alcohol, this wine is on the upper level of the light Federspiel category. A beauty that would be a cash cow in any restaurant that offers it by the glass. Drink it young, but calculate a bottle per person. 89 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate June 2016
2015 Emmerich Knoll Riesling Schütt Smaragd RRP $132
MAGNUM RRP $264
The 2015 Dürnsteiner Riesling Ried Schütt Smaragd offers a super ripe and intense, herbal-flavored bouquet of ripe golden delicious apples. Full-bodied, elegant and fresh this is a powerful and pretty rich Riesling with grip and tension, but it lacks the coolish character of the Kellerberg or even the Steinertal. 91-92 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate June 2016
2015 Emmerich Knoll Riesling Smaragd Vinothekfüllung RRP $149
MAGNUM RRP $330
The 2015 Loibner Riesling Smaragd Vinothekfüllung was picked very late (after the rain) and with a significant portion of botrytis. Rich and elegant on the palate, this is a powerful and concentrated Riesling with a piquant acidity and a remarkable elegance and tension. The finish is long and firm. 92-93 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate June 2016
2015 Emmerich Knoll Loibner Grüner Veltliner Steinfeder RRP $42
Sourced from vineyards close to the Danube and picked in later September, the 2015 Loibner Grüner Veltliner Steinfeder displays a clear and characterful bouquet with intensely sweet herbal flavors and a good fruit ripeness. Clear, fresh and elegant on the palate, this is a stunningly characterful Veltliner in the elegant and aromatic Knoll style. The yield was pretty good, otherwise the must weight would have been too much for the lightest wine category of the Vinea Wachau. 87 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate June 2016
2015 Emmerich Knoll Loibner Grüner Veltliner Federspiel RRP $49
The 2015 Loibner Grüner Veltliner Federspiel displays an intense and elegant bouquet of ripe and overripe apples. Medium-bodied, fresh and fruity, this is an elegant and pretty intense Veltliner with grip and tension. Although it tastes like a rather full-bodied Federspiel it has been bottled with a rather moderate alcohol level of 12% alcohol. 88 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate June 2016
2015 Emmerich Knoll Loibenberg Grüner Veltliner Smaragd RRP $95
From the lower part of the cru, the 2015 Loibner Grüner Veltliner Ried Loibenberg Smaragd offers a well-defined, flinty and elegant bouquet of ripe white fruit aromas. Full-bodied, intense and mineral, this is an elegant and firmly structured wine that is fresher and more pure than the Loibenberg Riesling. A stunning GV that is pretty coolish and finesse-full, not just for the vintage but also the vineyard. 91-93 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate June 2016
2015 Emmerich Knoll Grüner Veltliner Vinothekfülllung Smaragd RRP $132
MAGNUM RRP $264
The 2015 Loibner Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Vinothekfülllung is clear and intense on the nose, very ripe, bit still precise and smoky in its white-fruit aromas. Full-bodied, rich and elegant this is a velvet-textured wine with a lot of power and a bit of bitter flavors in the finish. 91-93 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate June 2016