Is that an iconic label or what? In the wide and wild world of wines, surely this - a Baroque painting of Saint Urban, the patron saint of winegrowers, by Siegfried Stoitzner - would catch one's eye. And in this rare instance, the spectacularity of the label surely matches that of the producer - meet Weingut Knoll of Wachau, Austria.

No discussion about Austria or Gruner Veltliner can be complete without serious consideration for the Knoll's, who for three generations (and now into it's fourth) have tended to the vineyards of Wachau. Established in 1825 by Emmerich Knoll, the Austrian winery calls the Wachau village of Unterloiben home (an hour's drive out from Vienna), and whose 18 hectare vineyards are located in some of the region's greatest terroirs, planted predominantly of Riesling and Gruner Veltliner, the latter of the two a particular variety native to Austria. The family run winery has bottled its wines since as early as 1947, with the iconic imagery of Saint Urban gracing Knoll's wines since 1962. It is thus in Wachau that the Knoll's have quietly created some of the world's most lauded white wines.

The serene and idyllic region of Wachau has been the center of an Austrian winemaking renaissance.

A rather historic region, Wachau has always been considered incredibly scenic, with its vineyards sloping down to the Danube River. The land has seen all manners of royalty (notably King Richard, the Lionheart of England), merchants and civilians take root here, yet perhaps most pertinent to winemaking, it is here that most believe was the start of an Austrian wine renaissance in the 1980's. The climate here is a combination of cool Alpine air and warm Pannonian breezes, whilst the terroir can generally be characterised by stony, mineral rich soils that are perfect for cooler white grape varietals. And it is thus amidst this serenity that the Knoll family, today led by Emmerich Knoll III, carries on the tradition of producing wines that by contrast have seen much in the way of grandiose celebrity. In October 2002, a highly anticipated clash of titans in the form of some of the world's great white wines was organised by famed wine writers Jancis Robinson and Tim Atkin - this saw entries from the likes of Burgundy legends from Louis Latour's 1990 Corton Charlemagne to Domaine Leflaive's 2000 Puligny Montrachet Clavoillons, and yet it was ultimately Emmerich Knoll's 1990 Gruner Smaragd that emerged the winner. And so it is painfully obvious just how much the wine world lauds the juice produced by Knoll.

Emmerich Knoll III, with his father Emmerich (Sr).

Now to understand Emmerich Knoll's wines, we must first get to know the family's vineyards. The family has several main vineyards - Schuett, Loibenberg, Kellerberg, Kreutles and Pfaffenberg - which whilst varied, can largely be characterised by gravelly soils mixed in with gneiss and other ancient igneous bedrock which best suit the Riesling varietal, whilst the areas planted with Gruner Veltliner tend to be characterised by loess soils mixed with river sand and alluvium. The Knolls tend to their vineyards with a principle of exercising minimal intervention, although they do practice green harvesting.

The Schutt vineyard for example, is heavy in gravel with gneiss and alluvial deposits, which translates to wines with a lively acidity and minerality. The Kellerberg vineyards are sloped and faces the sun, made up of rock soils with granite infusions, which gives its wines depth, concentration and touches of smokiness. The Loibenberg vineyard is primarily of sandy loam and worn rock, which produces wines that are elegant and balanced between richness and nuance. Across these vineyards, as mentioned, the varietals of choice are primarily Riesling and Gruner Veltliner, although small plantings of Chardonnay, Gelber Traminer, Gelber Muskateller and Pinot Noir can be found as well.

Winemaking remains fairly traditional, with the use of large old wooden foudres for fermentation.

In producing its wines, the grapes are all hand harvested (even the steep slopes!) and gently pressed, with fermentation primarily done in large old oak and acacia vats (although some styles of younger, lighter wines are fermented in stainless steel tanks). As per Austrian wine classifications, three styles of wines are produced - Steinfeder (the lightest bodied, maximum of 11.5% ABV), Federspiel (medium bodied, 11.5-12.5% ABV), and Smaragd (fullest bodied, minimum of 12.5% ABV). For Knoll, the Federspiel wines are transferred into stainless steel tanks after fermentation, where they rest for several months, whilst Smaragd wines age for longer in large wooden barrels.

Emmerich Knoll's primary goal is to allow the wines to exhibit their varietal style as developed at their specific sites - the wines should never be overpowered or exuberant, but rather tight, concentrated and powerful. It's worth pointing out also that Weingut Knoll is a proud member of the Vinea Wachau Nobilis Districtus (a winemaking quality protection association) and has thus sought to produce its wines to the highest quality possible and to uphold strict quality control rules - whilst not having sought out certification, the winery emphasises sustainable farming at its vineyards.

It's all in the labels!

And whilst Emmerich Knoll's wines are exceptionally eye-catching, it may be difficult for someone unfamiliar with their work to decipher between bottles, all of which carry the same stark "Exploding Jesus" imagery (as wine fans have often joked). What you want to be looking out for on any bottle is therefore the text labels which should indicate:

1. Grape Varietal (Indicated on the ribbon below St. Urban, eg. Riesling, Gruner Veltliner),
2. Wine Style (On the neck label, eg. Federspiel, Smaragd),
3. Vineyard Classification (Indicated on the ribbon below St. Urban along with the varietal, eg. Loibner for village wines, Ried for single vineyard wines), and
4. Specific Vineyards, if any (If stated it is indicated also on the ribbon below St. Urban, eg. Schutt, Loibenberg, Kellerberg).

For those visiting Weingut Knoll, do note that the trip is made extra enticing as the winery keeps some of its most important wines in their cellars for maturation, which can only be purchased directly from the winery itself. Also, whilst in Wachau, you can also dine at the family's 400 year old restaurant, the Loibnerhof Familie Knoll!

And so with all that said, today we've got perhaps the most classic Emmerich Knoll expression - the Loibner Smaragd Riesling. And so this is 100% Riesling, produced to the fullest body style under the Austrian classification, and its fruit is sourced from around the region (as opposed to a single vineyard), making it a village level wine (hence Loibner). Let's get to it!

Wine Review: Weingut Emmerich Knoll Loibner Smaragd Riesling 2021

Tasting Notes

Colour: Straw

Aroma: It opens up with great freshness yet it's not quite crisp or light. It's mellow and concentrated, with a richness and heftier roundedness, like that of cold cloudy apple juice. It's filled with lots of pears, golden apples, quince, there is alittle bit of that apple core savouriness, with also some florals that give it a perfume, of apple blossoms and other white florals. It's also alittle doughy, with more on cloudy apple juice and pear puree. It's rich and heady, yet anything but cloying, it tethers on confectionary without being sweet, settling in on baked pome fruits in the form of apple and quince tartes.

Taste: It feels fuller and richer here, yet still keeps its freshness. Medium-plus bodied, yet still no sign of any overt sweetness. It keeps those orchard fruits of pears, golden apples and quince, both juiced, pureed and baked. It's got lots of these baked apple tart and pear puree qualities, along with that doughiness. There's a nice bit of acidity that's well-integrated and comes through really naturally without being zippy or streaky - like biting into a lightly poached apple. More savouriness of apple cores, which only builds along the way to give this umami savouriness that drives the body. It's velvety and plush, with the acidity pushing forth more so with time, again settling into a tidy glass of cloudy apple juice.

Finish: The acidity carries through to the finish with the richness taking a backseat. The aromatics of the orchard fruits, apples, pears, quince, stay on, yet it's the savouriness that really comes through. It's rich into the finish, with quite a savouriness of apple cores and a doughiness that develops. Cloudy apple juice lingers on.

My Thoughts

This is a Riesling unlike any other - the fruit character is retained and expressed heavily here, with great concentration and richness, but above all that, it is conveyed so naturalistically - like you were having a baked apple tart or a pear puree, or some sort of pome fruit juice. In that sense, the raw purity is what really makes Emmerich Knoll's wines so unique and beloved. It defies both modern and traditional Rieslings in that it's not this overly filtered and clarified fruit essence that most modern Rieslings tend to go for, whilst it also keeps such a bold fruit flavour that is well-structured yet also incredibly concentrated, which tends to be missing with the traditionalists.

It's rich and savoury, off-dry without any sense of being confectionary, led by the pure natural acidity of the fruit that is not only so well preserved but also in fact honed and concentrated. It just feels like pure fruit - which is arguably one of the most sought after holy grails for winemakers. Maybe Saint Urban really is to be found in the vineyards of Emmerich Knoll.

Kanpai!

@111hotpot