2015 Franz Hirtzberger Grüner Veltliner Axpoint Smaragd

Franz Hirtzberger

Austria / Wachau / Franz Hirtzberger

The famous name "Axpoint" is explained by the fact that this land used to be owned by the Abtai of Niederalteich. This is a young vineyard, which first produced fruit in 1999. The soil is recondite and comprises predominantly clay which is reflected in the character of the Grüner Veltliner Smaragd produced here.

February, 2017

David Schildknecht

Vinous Media

93 points

Ripe white peach and Persian melon are wreathed with honeysuckle in this product of a November 3-4 picking. A silken and expansive palate preserves succulent fruit and alluring inner-mouth perfume while exhibiting transparency to almondy, piquant, stony and pronouncedly peppery nuances. The lusciously lingering finish epitomizes this bottling’s marriage of richness with animation and refreshment. (But yes, it’s true that one could be forgiven for thinking this a Riesling.)

January, 2017

Julia Harding MW

jancisrobinson.com

17/20

RS 3.5 g/l, TA 5 g/l. Richer and spicier on the nose than the Rotes Tor. The sweetness adds to the full body and mouth-filling texture. Again there's pear fruit but also a light note of a riper flavour, perhaps apricot, that is hard to pin down, and definite white-pepper aroma and flavour. Lots of apricot aroma in the empty glass.

November, 2017

Bruce Sanderson

Wine Spectator

93 points

Well-knit with intense acidity, this is a perfect wine for food, delivering aromas of honey and dandelion up front while showing graceful ripe orchard fruit, mineral and spice flavors midpalate. Long, mouthwatering finish. Drink now through 2025.

June, 2016

Stephan Reinhardt

Wine Advocate

91 points

From 1996 planted vines, the 2015 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Spitzer Axpoint displays an intense and ripe fruit on the nose. Full-bodied, rich and smooth on the palate this is a charming and very juicy, fruit-intense wine with a ripe acidity, a stunningly firm tannin structure and some bitter flavors in the finish. The 2015 was picked highly ripe, but there was no longer maceration compared to the Rotes Tor Smaragd which is structured by its pure and refreshingly salty mineral acidity.

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About Franz Hirtzberger

The Hirtzberger family purchased its first vineyards in the village of Spitz in the late 1800s. The winery is situated at the western end of the Wachau - the part that's coolest and closest to the mountains. The terraced Singerriedel vineyard has brought the family near legendary status for its Riesling, while the Honivogl has done the same with Grüner Veltliner. Such sites, allied to an approach that’s simple in the extreme, lend the wines an often astonishing transparency and complexity.

About

"In every walk of life the best results are obtained as a result of care," says Franz Hirtzberger, adding, "this is especially true when it comes to the vine." He and his son, also Franz, now share responsibilities in the vineyard and the cellar in order to give the vine and its fruit all the time and attention possible in their quest for great wine. Wines are fermented in stainless steel and then aged in old oak barrels and sit stylistically somewhat apart from the rest. Spicy, exotic and perfectly poised, they nevertheless combine the opulence of FX Pichler with Prager’s racy purity.