To say that Weingut Knoll is a “cult” winery wouldn’t be a fair assessment. Quite frankly, they transcend the word. Yes, their saintly baroque label has fascinated collectors and sommeliers for nearly 60 years, but it's the nectar itself that attracts my attention. Knoll (pronounced with a hard ‘k’) is among the greatest producers on earth, and you cannot consider yourself a wine fiend unless they’re on your watchlist, in your cellar, and/or on your dinner table.

Knoll’s supreme reign in the Wachau isn’t a twist of fate, either. Generations of grape-growing have yielded holdings in all the top vineyards and their traditional, handcrafted wines deliver some of the finest price-to-quality of any region. Obviously, we would love to offer these on a yearly, if not monthly, basis but tracking down a sizable allocation can often be a fool’s errand. Rarely does suspense last more than a few minutes or hours, but the complete dearth of Weingut Knoll on SommSelect has afflicted us for several years now. Admittedly, I’ve continued enjoying these classics on top wine lists, but today marks the first time their world-famous label has graced our site since 2016. This long-awaited return won’t disappoint: Hailing from the renowned “Kreutles” vineyard and coming in with smaragd-level richness, this 2017 is a paragon of world-class wine. Only available in limited quantities.

The Kreutles vineyard rests just below the equally, if not more, famous site of Loibenberg (you can knock yourself out with this interactive map) and is sustainably farmed by hand. After harvesting, the whole-bunch grapes are gently pressed and sent into a combination of stainless steel and used oak vessels. The wine spends just under one year in these vessels, on lees, before an unfined bottling under natural cork. In the glass, Knoll’s 2017 Kreutles Smaragd reveals a deep straw-yellow with bright green hues reflecting out to the rim. If this is your first Knoll, get ready for a wild sensory experience: explosive aromatics boast an abundance of green mango peel, pineapple core, apricot, and fleshy white peach interlaced with daikon radish, honeysuckle, delicate white pepper, lime blossoms, damp herbs, and heaps of finely crushed stones. While always intensely concentrated and layered, this 2017 outshines many of its predecessors with a shocking amount of density and richness that stays lifted throughout. Decant for 15-30 minutes and serve around 50 degrees in an all-purpose or Burgundy stems. It’s a serious and seriously addicting wine that will undoubtedly be the center of attention. And they can age too—a decade or more certainly isn’t out of the question. Enjoy this iconic treat!