WTN: Wachau the Line

[David M. Bueker]

• 2023 Alzinger Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Loibenberg - Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau (5/13/2025)
  Early days, but this is a beautiful wine. Classic Grüner Veltliner green notes ride on top of a bed of nearly ripe peach. In the mid-palate it turns distinctly saline, evoking a seaside evening as the surf splashes against a rock jetty. Hay, green tea, and a creamy return of the peach emerge over time, and the finish smacks of ginger. So glad to have bought a lot of this, and look forward to following it for many years (if I can keep my hands off of it).

Sounds great.
Don't have much Alzinger but always like.

Yes, it does sound great, and almost makes me want to go out and buy some! Have been reminding myself of Alzinger's rieslings recently, but don't have any GV...

It sounds delicious but I wonder about the ABV on it (Alzinger's website information stops at the '21). With climate change, I've begun to find Smargd bottlings getting too heavy for me and gravitating more to the Federspiel side of things. YMMV of course.

[David M. Bueker]

It sounds delicious but I wonder about the ABV on it (Alzinger's website information stops at the '21). With climate change, I've begun to find Smargd bottlings getting too heavy for me and gravitating more to the Federspiel side of things. YMMV of course.

The bottle went to the recycling bin, but there was nothing that remotely resembled alcoholic heat.

[David M. Bueker]

Checked another bottle, 13.5%.

Thanks, David. 13.5 is probably my upper limit for a white wine, but I tend not to be doctrinaire about such things as I've found that dry extract tends to moderate my perception of alcoholic heat.

[David M. Bueker]

There’s certainly a lot of dry extract in this wine.