2012 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

Joel B. Payne

Vinous Media

93 points

Captivating bouquet of vineyard peach, apricot blossom and wild spices. Juicy lime and passion fruit flavors are highlighted by crushed minerals and framed by crystal-clear, highly refreshing acidity. A wine with excellent inner balance; vibrant stone fruits dominate the appetizingly long finish. Arguably the finest of the rieslings here.

Julia Harding MW

jancisrobinson.com

17.5+/20

Slightly woody (not oaky) nose, attractively sour, dry and very primary on the palate. Earthy, extremely mineral, power and intensity without immediate fruit flavour. Impressive rather than alluring at the moment.

Kim Marcus

Wine Spectator

93 points

Rich, lush and full of juicy pear tart, ripe apple and blood orange flavors, supported by fresh acidity. Open-textured yet full of finesse, and matched to a vibrant minerality and a plush spiciness. Lanolin and beeswax notes add a hint of exoticism to the long finish. Drink now through 2022.

David Schildknecht

Wine Advocate

91 points

Lean for a Wachau wine of its vintage, the Knoll 2012 Riesling Smaragd Schutt exhibits stimulating brightness and admirable clarity with sage, marjoram, black pepper and stone glimpsed through a matrix of apple and lime, leading to a lingering and refreshing, intriguing though very slightly warm finish. I imagine this bottling being worth following through 2020.

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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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