{"product_id":"emerich-knoll-gruner-veltliner-smaragd-ried-kreutles-2023","title":"Emmerich Knoll Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Ried Kreutles 2023","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRied Kreutles sits near the village of Unterloiben, in the heart of Austria's Wachau along a dramatic bend of the Danube. This is a south-facing parcel low on the slope, where deep sandy loess, dropped by ancient winds, sits over gneiss eroded out of the Alps by glaciers. That combination of warm, well-drained loess and hard primary rock is ideal for Grüner Veltliner, and the continental Wachau climate, hot days and sharply cooler nights off the river, gives the fruit both ripeness and tension. The vines here average around 25 years, old enough to dig deep and carry real concentration.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e100% Grüner Veltliner at the Smaragd level, the ripest and most structured tier in the Vinea Wachau system, and always fully dry. Fermented with ambient yeasts and raised in a mix of large old oak casks and stainless steel in the traditional Wachau manner. Ripe yellow apple and pear, white pepper and green lentil spice, orchard-fruit depth, and a long, saline, gneiss-driven finish. Knoll's house style runs leaner and more precise than the plusher Pichler school of the valley, but a Kreutles Smaragd still carries genuine weight and richness underneath that cut. The 2023 vintage delivered healthy, ripe Grüner Veltliner with well-preserved acidity; late-October rains brought some botrytis pressure that Grüner, hardier than Riesling, largely shrugged off. Drink it now with air or cellar it for a decade.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Knoll family has farmed vineyards in Unterloiben since the early 1800s, and the estate now spans roughly 15 hectares across some of the Wachau's most storied sites. It is led by Emmerich Knoll, an outspoken champion of the region, and its wines are instantly recognizable by the baroque St. Urban label, named for the patron saint of winemakers. Knoll is a member of Vinea Wachau, the association that governs the Steinfeder, Federspiel, and Smaragd categories, and the family also runs the 400-year-old Loibnerhof restaurant nearby. The wines are made traditionally and built to age.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRich enough to anchor a real plate. Wiener schnitzel with lemon, roast pork belly with crackling, grilled halibut with brown butter and capers, or a creamy wild mushroom risotto. Grüner is also one of the few wines that genuinely loves asparagus and green vegetables. The white pepper bite and firm acidity keep everything fresh.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Old World","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50572334727391,"sku":null,"price":68.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P7160691.jpg?v=1784262453","url":"https:\/\/denverwinemerchant.com\/products\/emerich-knoll-gruner-veltliner-smaragd-ried-kreutles-2023","provider":"Denver Wine Merchant","version":"1.0","type":"link"}