Let’s rave about Franz Hirtzberger’s great 2023 Riesling Ried Singerriedel
Steep Delight
The 2023 Riesling Smaragd comes from a steep vineyard characterised by dry stone walls at the entrance to the town of Spitz in the Austrian Wachau region. There is a lot to rave about vintage 2023 Riesling Ried Singerriedel from Weingut Franz Hirtzberger. Stuart Pigott, senior editor of James Suckling, gave it the perfect score. Let’s watch out for this steep delight.
Well, you see what happens when you put key players in the wine industry into one room to taste the best site-specific Austrian wines. As an attendee of the 2024 Single Vineyard Summit in Grafenegg, I had the opportunity to sample and evaluate Erste Lage (Premier Cru) wines from the Österreichische Traditionsweingüter (ÖTW). My last day of the summit, Friday the 13th of September was surprisingly far from unlucky. All right, you could ask. What is that all about? On Friday the 13th, we tasted wines from Vinea Wachau, the association of winemakers in the Wachau wine-growing area.
Wachau wine region
The Wachau wine region in Austria is renowned for producing high-quality white wines, particularly from the grapes Grüner Veltliner and Riesling. Situated along the Danube River, Wachau is a stunning scenic region that winds along the hillsides between Melk and Krems.
UNESCO World Heritage living cultural landscape
In 2000 Wachau was included to UNESCO World Heritage as a living cultural landscape due to its agricultural and forest habitats and the authenticity of its towns and monuments. But Wachau is also known for its long winemaking tradition on steep terraced vineyards with their unique microclimate and soil composition. The wines from the Wachau region are known for their unique characteristics that reflect their origin. The wines from this region often exhibit vibrant acidity, a stoney minerality and expressive fruit flavours, making them highly sought after by wine lovers worldwide.
Vinea Wachau Nobilis Districtus
Founded in 1983, Vinea Wachau Nobilis Districtus is the association of Wachau winegrowers. More than 200 producers committed to Vinea’s strict standards next to preserving the local distinctiveness by giving up the option to purchase grapes or wine from other areas and by refraining from cultivating vineyards in different regions. In Wachau they have a saying: “There is more to be gained by joining forces”.
The name Vinea Wachau Nobilis Districtus dates back to Leuthold I von Kuenring (1243-1313). The core of his possessions consisted of what is now the wine-growing area of Wachau. In 2022, Vinea Wachau joined the Single Vineyard Summit. Their single-vineyard wines are frequently exceptional.
2024 ÖTW Single Vineyard Summit
When I walked into the Single Vineyard Summit tasting room in the original stables of Grafenegg I began to smile. There was an endless row of Wachau bottles staring me in the face. I could not resist. I had to taste these wines from vintage 2023 and some vintage 2022. The Single Vineyard Summit format is a so-called ‘silent tasting’. Quietly, I tiptoed from the endless row to a table, sat down, and filled out the form to order the selected wines. One of the Vinea Wachau members, yes you are served by the Wachau producers, returned with a bottle rack containing 5 bottles and a spittoon.
Wingut Franz Hirtzberger Riesling Smaragd 2023 Ried Singerriedel
Upon receiving the first wine in the glass, I knew I was in for a treat. I was greeted by the delightful aromas of a sun-drenched meadow brimming with flowers and herbs, ripe, juicy peaches, citrus, and yellow apples. The overall taste was savoury and mineral, yet restrained. Firm, tight-knit, elegant, layered on the palate with pear, stone fruit, delicate pineapple and mango, fine acidity, lingering finish and great ageing potential. A very convincing wine by a winemaker who knows his craft, I thought. I gave it 96-97 points.
A perfect score
This week I received an e-mail saying that James Suckling Senior Editor Stuart Pigott gave the Riesling Smaragd Ried Singerriedel 2023 by Franz Hirtzberger the perfect score: 100 points. Stuart wrote that “Franz Hirtzberger Jr. really nailed the winemaking with this great Wachau Riesling masterpiece”. And I could not agree more. Thanks to the God of Wine, Friday the 13th turned out an incredibly fortunate day!
Read more in the James Suckling Weekly Tasting Report: https://www.jamessuckling.com/…/the-wachau-sweet-spot…/
More about the enjoyable experiences and other wines at the Single Vineyard Summit in the future. Some wines will be included in upcoming tasting notes.
