2006 Riesling Loibenberg Smaragd

An alluring buddleia-like floral nose to the 2006 Riesling Smaragd Loibenberg is matched by ravishing inner-mouth floral notes, generous white peach, plum, and grapefruit, and a glossy texture. Subtly peppery and mineral pungency extends the length of the finish without interrupting this wine’s seamless flow of clear, coolly-refreshing yet generously ripe fruit. This rich, yet airy and open-knit wine should continue to offer fascinating interplay and refined satisfaction for a decade. Having finished picking the last day of October makes this by one measure among the earliest harvests on record here, “certainly,” says Knoll, “since the early nineties, anyway.” (In 2003, they began earlier but finished later.) While this year’s Federspiel bottlings were by Knoll’s admission “right on the border” of going over into legal Smaragd territory and required quick action during harvest, they nevertheless retain the requisite sense of lightness and refreshment. But if the harvest was relatively hurried, Knoll’s approach in the cellar was anything but, and none of his 2006 Smaragd had been bottled yet when I tasted them last summer. Importer: Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700