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Weingut Knoll, Grüner Veltliner, Loibner

Lower Austria, Austria 2013 (750mL)
$36.00
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Earth
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Tannin
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Alcohol

Weingut Knoll, Grüner Veltliner, Loibner


Austria’s Wachau appellation is the most notable and acclaimed region of Austria and is best represented under the guidance of producers like Knoll. About an hour northwest of Vienna along the Danube River, the vista of the steep, terraced vineyards of the Wachau creates a magnificent landscape akin to a green, ancient amphitheater. Emmerich Knoll’s 15 hectares rest around the village of Unterloiben, which is considered one of the top areas in all of the region. It is the unique soil in this pocket of Wachau the lends to the incredible minerality of the wine. The predominate soil is löess with a touch of decomposed granite. The löess soil is a granular particulate that clumps together in your hand like a baseball then turns to a sandy-like texture when it is squeezed. This soil is actually a millennia in the making—the belt of periglacial löess in the Wachau was deposited in this particular sweet spot during the Pleistocene epoch from Scandinavian ice sheets. The outcroppings of this unique soil inevitably imparts a creamier, richer texture to Gruner Veltliner while simultaneously delivering outstanding minerality.
 
The precise minerality derived from the Knoll estate soils is just one factor of many that contributes to the outstanding complexity found in the glass. Emmerich Knoll III is an incredible steward of his family estate, which has been has been owned and operated from within the family for over three generations. He embraces incredibly traditional winemaking techniques and feels it is crucial to heap ample attention to the unique holdings in his vineyards while exercising minimal intervention in the cellar. I had the distinct pleasure of spending many days with Emmerich on my last trip to Austria. When he speaks, the room goes silent as no one wants to miss a kernel of the infinite wisdom he has to impart, which has been culled from decades of shared family experience in the vineyard and cellar. Knoll's wines are easily recognizable by their distinct, ornate label, which depicts St. Urban, patron saint of wine.
 
This wine is a textbook example of a complex Grüner in the federspiel style. In the glass, the wine is a pale straw moving to green reflections on the rim. The incredible aromatics boast an abundance of green fruit including green mango skin, green pineapple core and green peach pit laced with daikon radish, a hint of honeycomb and a touch of white pepper. The palate confirms the fruit on the nose with a touch of sweetness (barely noticeable), and offers melon peel, green plums, cucumber, crushed stone, spice and wet herbs. This serious Federspiel delivers a densely concentrated, rich mouthfeel, precise minerality and bright freshness with a touch more creaminess than expected of the style. This wine shows incredible quality for its price point. Decant the Knoll for thirty minutes and serve at 50-55 degrees in an all-purpose stem. For a Wachauer feast to compliment this Grüner, try this mouth-watering trout recipe or visit the family’s 400-year-old restaurant, Loibnerhof for a feast you will never forget. Prost! http://www.lower-austria.info/portal/en/default.asp?tt=NOEEN_R6&id=95264
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Country
Austria
Region
Lower Austria
Sub-Region
AustriaWachau
Soil
Löess and Gneiss
Farming
Sustainable
Blend
Grüner Veltliner
Alcohol
12.5
OAK
None

Austria

Northeastern Austria

Weinviertel

Considered by most to be the oldest growing zone in Austria, Weinviertel is also, geographically, the largest in the country and covers the vast, northeastern expanse of Lower Austria, stretching from the western border of Slovakia, following the Danube inland and veering up to the southern border of Czechia. Its name, which translates to “wine quarter,” reflects the region’s rich, ancient wine heritage and, according to the Weinviertel DAC website, there are “7,000 years of artifacts to prove it.”

Northeastern Austria

Wachau

Austria’s Wachau appellation is the country’s most acclaimed region. About an hour northwest of Vienna along the Danube River, the vista of the steep, terraced vineyards of the Wachau creates a magnificent landscape akin to a verdant, ancient amphitheater—it is a UNESCO World Heritage site, after all. With rich and unique soils here of löess and gneiss, which lend vivid minerality to the wine.

Eastern Austria

Burgenland

The Burgenland appellation, running along Austria’s border with Hungary southeast of Vienna, has a diverse topography and a mix of soils, with more primary rock and slate at higher locations and dense loams in the rolling hills that extend toward the Pannonian plain.

Southeastern Austria

Steiermark

The region of Styria (Steiermark) is in southeastern Austria which sits near the border with Slovenia. This area is studded with long-extinct volcanoes whose deposits are a key component of the local soils and the vineyards benefit from a classic Austrian push-pull of cool Alpine air and warmer “Pannonian” currents from the east.

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