Critic ratings
robert_parker
1994
Rating:
96
–96
One of the most riveting examples of Austrian Riesling I tasted is Hirtzberger's 1994 Riesling Smaragd Singerriedl. Unfortunately, only 60 bottles were imported to the United States. This is Riesling at its most highly-extracted. A quintessential, dry, full-bodied Riesling with superb clarity, this wine possesses a red fruit character, with cherries, honeyed citrus, and mineral scents soaring from the glass. Long, mouthfilling, and intense, this is a dry, expressive, sublime Riesling that should drink well for a decade or more. Bravo!
Franz Hirtzberger's 1994s performed splendidly in my tasting and readers are encouraged to try and find a bottle or two of his exquisite wines.
Importer: a Terry Theise Selection, Milton S. Kronheim & Co., Jessup, MD; tel. (410) 724-3369
robert_parker
1994
Rating:
96
–96
Deep golden in color, the 1994 Singerriedel Riesling Smaragd is beautifully matured and intense on the waxy and minty but baroque and slightly caramelly nose that delivers stewed stone fruit aromas. Full-bodied, juicy and crystalline, with a coolish and salty structure, vital acidity and stewed apricot notes, this is an elegant, refined and tensioned Riesling with lingering salinity. Gorgeous. 13% alcohol. Tasted at the domain in June 2021.
robert_parker
1994
Rating:
95
–95
The powerful aromatics of the 1994 Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel exhibit honeyed mineral scents. On the palate, this medium-bodied wine has awesome depth, purity, and focus. Its never ending character is slathered with almonds, chamomile, verbena, and pulpy pears. In most of the Wachau, 1994 was simply too warm a vintage. However, in the cooler climate around Spitz it was a special vintage. Drink it over the next 10-14 years.
robert_parker
2013
Rating:
95
–95
Franz Hirtzberger's 2013 Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel is classic! Very precise, complex and concentrated on the fresh, elegant and transparent, more-mineral-than-fruity nose. Intense and concentrated on the palate, this full-bodied legend is also vibrant, piquant, very elegant and provided with a long and mineral finish. Expensive, but great and unique as always.
robert_parker
2013
Rating:
94
–94
The lovely rich, ripe, intense yet remarkably pure and elegant (well balanced) nose on the 2013 Riesling Smaragd Hochrain reveals fresh fruit aromas. Very concentrated and dense on the palate, almost thick, velvety textured and provided with a piquant acidity, this is a rich, powerful and full-bodied baroque Riesling that needs some years to unfold its talents.
robert_parker
2013
Rating:
94
–94
Super clear and aromatic on the nose, the 2013 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Rotes Tor is deep, intense, ripe but fresh, with rather white than yellow-fleshed fruits. Full-bodied, rich and elegant, on the well-balanced palate, high extract and almost honey-sweet flavors dominate the taste, followed by very good length and a mineral aftertaste.
robert_parker
2013
Rating:
93
–93
Hirtzberger's 2013 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Axpoint is rich, dense and ripe on the nose, but also precise, well-focused and provided with fresh lemon and herbal aromas. Full-bodied, rich and piquant on the palate, this is an elegant, fruit-driven and very rich Gruner with power and elegance.
robert_parker
2013
Rating:
93
–93
Super ripe, super rich, super fine and super elegant on the nose, the 2013 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Honivogl is another (expensive) icon wine of the estate. Very rich, almost oily (at least viscous) and sweetish on the palate, this is a powerful and elegant though slightly saturating Veltliner. It will need some years to develop more freshness and transparency. Very baroque in style.
robert_parker
2013
Rating:
92
–92
The 2013 Riesling Smaragd Setzberg displays clear, fresh, ripe and concentrated Riesling flavors on the nose, including apricots and apricot skins, and is a kind of signature wine for the Wachau. Elegant, fresh and pure on the well-balanced palate, this Riesling is by far not as rich and baroque as the Veltiners. It's rather gothic: lean, straight, and well-structured with grip. The pure, piquant and salty finish is very stimulating.
robert_parker
2014
Rating:
92
–92
The 2014 Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel (picked pretty early on October 6 and 29) displays an intense, partly dried white stone fruit aroma, very well concentrated but not as bright and brilliant as the Steinterrassen Federspiel. Medium-bodied, firm, fresh and concentrated on the palate, this is taut and tightly woven but also dense and concentrated Riesling with extract, grip, finesse and tension. Although the finish is still a bit edgy and stringent, this is a promising wine for the next 15+ years.
robert_parker
2010
Rating:
92
–92
The 2010 Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel – portions of which were not picked until November 22, this year’s busy final day of harvest chez Hirtzberger – tastes as much of peach and peach kernel as it does of the apricot generally associated with this site. High-toned aromatic allusions to pit fruit distillates; cyanic bitterness and piquant notes of apple skin, fruit pit, and toasted nuts, are all viewed through a matrix of juicy, transparent, downright refreshing peach, apricot, and lemon, with welcome stimulation from a lick of salt in its long finish. This notable example of genuine richness of texture adeptly allied to vintage-typical high acidity and accentuated phenolics should be worth following for at least a decade. The Hirtzbergers experience considerable resemblance to the 1999 Singerriedel, which comes off as piquantly and fascinatingly smoky and mineral though a bit spare and attenuated when tasted alongside. (I enjoyed a Hochrain of this vintage from my own cellar not too long ago that displayed greater succulence.)
Given the penchant at this address for late harvest; considerable skin contact; and must aeration, I was not surprised to learn from Franz Hirtzberger Junior that only their Riesling Federspiel had been at all de-acidified. “If there’d been even a bit more hanging out there though,” he notes “then we wouldn’t have made it” – i.e. acheived ripe grapes. “We learned our lesson from 1996,” as Hirtzberger Senior saw it, namely not to harvest – despite ongoing crop loss and fear of ignoble rot (though in this case that didn’t materialize) – until the acids finally began to diminish and the skins to properly ripen. Importer: Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700
robert_parker
2012
Rating:
94
–94
The Hirtzberger 2012 Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel features almond and pistachio extracts along with peach kernel in a penetrating, high-toned nose, anticipating the piquant richness conveyed to nut oils and white peach on an expansive, subtly oily but persistently juicy palate. There is a crescendo of flavors here through the finish that is almost breathtaking. At the same time, the impression remains seamless and polished. Although I tend toward partisanship toward Hochrain vis-a-vis Singerriedel (particularly as the two mature in bottle), in this instance the Hochrain - fine though it is - comes off as ever so slightly rustic alongside the Singerriedel. Plan to follow the latter through 2020.
A starkly simple but profoundly impressive little tasting room (something that never really existed at this famous estate) in the former pressoir under their medieval stone home, is hardly the most noteworthy new development at this winery. The Hirtzbergers have bought at auction the Florianihof in Wosendorf (whence their mid-17th century ancestors first repaired from Styria) and will not only begin farming and making wines from the affiliated acreage but will revive the restaurant that the former owners long ran. The 2012 collection here is not only awe-inspiring in its sheer quality, it also offers intriguing and encouraging insights into what lies in this estate's future as generations change guard.
Importer: Weygandt-Metzler Importing, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0700
robert_parker
2004
Rating:
93
–93
The 2004 Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel has a hard act to follow and, as has often been my impression, it is not better – but certainly different – than the Hochrain, which in this instance exhibits greater animation of flavor and lift. Toasted almond, ripe apricot, musk melon and honey aromas lead to a palate with honeyed and malted richness as well as pit fruit ripeness more obvious than that of the Hochrain. A decidedly bitter fruit pit note offers a nice counterpoint to so much richness, and the creaminess of texture is met by a persistent if subtle, enlivening note of acidity. The long finish here is sultry and rich, suggesting sweetness and a combination of musk melon and stewed pit fruits. While approaching 14% in alcohol, it evinces no heat.
Importer: Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700
robert_parker
2005
Rating:
95
–95
Hirtzberger reports that he had to dump into the woods more than four tons of fruit from the Singerriedel in order to save only the fruit that was worthy to inform his 2005 Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel. Even more so than last year, this wine has a hard act to follow in the form of the Hochrain, and my (perverse?) personal preference in many years for the dynamism of the latter vis a vis the stately beauty of Singerriedel is long a matter of record. This Singerriedel offers an ester-filled nose of apricot jam, distilled apricot, and musk. Rich, full, creamy, and subtly oily on the palate, it delivers a finishing surge of apricot, apricot kernel, almond, musk, and brown spices of remarkable purity, intensity, and clarity for the vintage. For those who cellar these two Riesling high points of the 2005 vintage – and any Riesling lover with the requisite disposable income should – I would predict that the Singerriedel will peak before the Hochrain.
Also recommended: 2005 Gruner Veltliner Steinfeder Donaugarten (not available; 85).
Importer: Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700
robert_parker
2006
Rating:
93
–93
The Hirtzbergers’ 2006 Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel proved rather stubbornly closed-in, but decanting revealed ripe apricot, narcissus floral notes, and fruit pit piquancy that led to a bitter-sweet, rich palate. This Riesling is impressively concentrated and compact, with wet stone and apricot kernel dominating a long if somewhat somber finish. It will be most interesting to follow, as it may well open up over the short run and should stand up to 8-10 years in the cellar.
Importer: Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700
robert_parker
2007
Rating:
95
–95
From the top of one’s nose to the tail of its finish, the Hirtzberger 2007 Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel offers unusual notes of resin and pine needles, along with budleia and the more usual ripe apricot. Just as in approaching this year’s Honivogel, after the performance of the Hochrain I was anticipating perhaps too much ripeness and rot in Singerriedel, but there is only a subtle and very noble overlay of honey. Nut paste, apricot and white peach with their pits, honey, and malt inform this opulent, creamy, yet not in the least heavy Riesling, and they carry into a clear, pure, buoyant, juicy, still subtly honeyed finish. This eloquent and uncannily-balanced wine should stand up to 8-10 years in the cellar.
Most of Hirtzberger’s 2007 vintage Gruner Veltliner reflect their late dates of harvest and the presence of botrytis (a certain amount of which he always welcomes) in rich, low tones.
Importer: Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700
robert_parker
2000
Rating:
94
–94
White flowers and minerals make up the nose of the wonderful 2000 Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel. This medium-bodied wine has a rich, thick, oily-textured character. Expansive waves of honeyed minerals and candied apples can be discerned in its dense core and extraordinarily long finish. Projected maturity: 2005-2016+.
Importer: Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700
robert_parker
1999
Rating:
94
–94
This medium-bodied, silky-textured, and crystalline wine possesses depth, power, and richness. It is exceptionally well-balanced, and is packed with mineral, pear, apple, and verbena flavors that linger in its long, precise finish. The Hirtzbergers began the tradition of passing in each vineyard multiple times during harvest, picking only the ripest grapes, in 1991. In 1999 it took five such passes (the last on December 1st) to harvest the Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel. Projected maturity: 2005-2017. Bravo!
Importer: Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700