2007 Prager Grüner Veltliner Zwerithaler Smaragd

Weingut Prager

Austria / Wachau / Weingut Prager

February, 2009

David Schildknecht

Wine Advocate

90 points

Bodenstein’s 2007 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Zwerithaler comes from another site planted with old vines of diverse clonal origin and condition. “You can’t really call it a vineyard,” he says, “more like a hospital ward!” Persimmon, beet root, brown spices, and white pepper run all the way through this darkly-hued, bone dry (1.5 gram residual sugar) Veltliner. Smoky notes and subtle but insistent fruit skin tartness invigorate, and a palpable sense of extract puts an impressive, stony floor beneath the flavors, leading to a long, pepper and crushed stone dusted finish. I suspect this will be worth hanging on to for 6-8 years at least.

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About Weingut Prager

It’s all stainless steel, clean and high-tech at Prager. Toni Bodenstein is an icon of the new Austria and innovative in his approach. He’s been in control of winemaking since the early nineties and has positioned Prager firmly in Europe’s top echelon. The estate’s vineyards cover 16.5ha; 60% planted to Riesling, 40% Grüner Veltliner. Toni is the foremost authority in the region on the hugely diverse mesoclimates across the valley. His entry-level Grüner and Riesling are the epitome of Wachau purity and the rest of the range is a fascinating study in the terroir of Austria's greatest white-wine region. As Falstaff magazine puts it: "Bodenstein creates wines that unite elegance and finesse with expressiveness and power. These wines show that the great growths of the Wachau are some of the best in the world."

About

Toni Bodenstein is mayor of the town of Weissenkirchen and known as the “terroirist of the Wachau”, a pair of facts that give an idea of his connection to his land and culture, as well as the high esteem in which he’s held. “Vom Stein zum Wein” goes the motto at Prager, which likewise indicates the relationship between where the grapes grow and what you get to drink. Through his deep respect for tradition and the environment, he creates wines that unite finesse with expressiveness and power.