2013 Riesling Hochrain Smaragd
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Tasting notes
Bit sulky and reticent aromatically, but a totally different story to taste. Full-bodied, rich apple-and-cardamom flavours, etched with candied lemon peel and spice. Emphatic delineation that insists all the way through an elegant but uncompromising finish. (TC)
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
Tamlyn Currin, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Scents of violet and honeysuckle catch the attention, backed by suggestions of citrus fruits that then practically riot on the fundamentally firm yet glycerol-rich palate. Piquantly pip-tinged grapefruit, lime and apple mingle with toasty nut oils to generate a delectable combination of vivacity, juiciness and sheer refreshment with underlying low-toned richness. The openness and transparency to floral and mineral nuances here are utterly enticing, and an intriguingly musky animal dimension emerges as the wine takes on air. The vibrantly sustained, buoyant, mouthwateringly salt-tinged finish is bittersweetly reminiscent of sucking on the stem end of the honeysuckle. A portion of this fruit was picked already on the 20th of October, the rest on November 8.
The lovely rich, ripe, intense yet remarkably pure and elegant (well balanced) nose on the 2013 Riesling Smaragd Hochrain reveals fresh fruit aromas. Very concentrated and dense on the palate, almost thick, velvety textured and provided with a piquant acidity, this is a rich, powerful and full-bodied baroque Riesling that needs some years to unfold its talents.
RS 5 g/l. A little muted on the nose. All spine and structure with very marked acidity. Restrained. Wait for this one. (JR)