1999 Prager Riesling Weissenkirchen Klaus Smaragd
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Tasting notes
Colour of old gold. Waxy honey, a notion of orange and a whiff of cold tea shape the fragrance. Orange marmalade and peel with a tasteful bitter tangent express ripe fruit, enhanced by a dash of caramel. Full marks for extract, but altogether the Klaus just seems to lose its edge a little and should be enjoyed within the next year or two. (MS)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Much more reticent on the nose with very strong mineral notes. Still quite astringent and very dry. Positively chewy on the finish. Lots of integrity. Quite long already. (JR)
The 1999 Riesling Smaragd Weissenkirchen Klaus offers, mineral, lemon, and pear aromas. Medium-bodied and silky-textured, it has outstanding depth, intensity, and focus. White flowers, gravel, minerals, and quinine (slightly reminiscent of a gin and tonic) can be found throughout its tangy flavor profile as well as in its impressively long finish. Drink it over the course of the next 8-10 years. Importer: Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700.
Muskmelon, candied lemon and mango figure in an intensely ripe nose. Here, compared with the Smaragd Steinriegl and Hollerin, one has a much clearer sense of fruit and transparency to multifarious mineral notes, and a highly expressive interplay of fruit, spice and minerals in the finish.