2011 Emmerich Knoll Riesling Schütt Smaragd

Emmerich Knoll

Austria / Wachau / Emmerich Knoll

Viticulturist: Knoll family
Location: Wachau/ Dürnstein
Elevation/ Altitude: 240 m
Exposition: foot of the mountain
Soil type: pure primary rock, Gneiss based
Vineyard’s style: most minerality, very focused, straight and powerful wines
Methods of training: modified Moser Training System
Density of planting: 3,500 - 4,000 per hectare / 2.40 – 2.80m row spacing
Average vine age of this vineyard: 5 to 50 years, average: 25 years
Harvesting: by hand; selective harvest; rarely green harvest
VINIFICATION
No destemming, skin contact, no carbonic maceration, pneumatic press
Yeast: cultured and natural yeast
Fermentation vessel: cask and stainless steel tank from 500 to 5,000 litres depending on batch quantity
Fermentation length & temperature: 10 - 20 days, 23 - 26 degrees
ELEVAGE/ MATURATION
Lees ageing & batonnage: 6 - 8 months, no bâtonnage
Racking: twice

Jancis Robinson

18/20

Grapefruit nose – really racy. Masses of ripe fruit and great lively acidity. Lovely stuff with great energy.

Joel B. Payne

Vinous Media

92 points

Extraordinary bouquet combines intense flinty minerals, cracked pepper, pineapple and apricot blossom. Discreet notes of acacia honey and smoke continue on the palate. Complex and almost voluptuous for a riesling, with an intense, almost salty minerality. Excellent potential.

Kim Marcus

Wine Spectator

94 points

This explosively fruity white delivers concentrated notes of peach cobbler, apple tart and lemon meringue that are broad and lush. Unctuous, presenting a deft blend of mineral and lightly smoky flavors. Custard and white chocolate accents fill the long, rich finish. Drink now through 2024.

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About Emmerich Knoll

"This winery has produced so many cult wines over the last decades that it would not be a problem to fill an entire book with their tasting notes." So goes the Falstaff Ultimate Wine Guide's entry on Knoll, pronounced with a K. The winery uses exclusively old oak foudres and implements a winemaking philosophy that places varietal site expression at the forefront. Emmerich Knoll senior is a thoughtful, quiet man; the opposite of Emmerich junior, cosmopolitan and modern in his approach. The Knolls have holdings in all the best sites, as exemplified by their success in the now infamous UK tasting where an aged Knoll Grüner beat a field of Grand Cru white Burgundies. The unmistakable labels bearing the image of Saint Urban, the patron saint of winegrowing, are a reminder that tradition is the watchword here. But what isn’t so obvious is that Emmerich Knoll’s wines are sheer joy to drink — now or far into the future.

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