Riesling Ried Pfaffenberg Kremstal 2020

This Riesling Ried Pfaffenberg 2020 comes from Kremstal, just on the border with the Wachau. To give you a stylistic idea, this wine used to be labelled as a ‘Kabinett’, but Emmerich Knoll now works with the DAC (Districtus Austriae Controllatus) system for quality Austrian wine, so that nomenclature is no longer required. But it means that it’s crafted in a bright, juicy and crunchy style. If opening it now, you can expect floral notes of honeysuckle and apple blossom, citrus, lemon oil, apricot sorbet and white peach. But the intensity and racy acidity will soon tell you that this wine is still just a baby, so we recommend also tucking a few bottles away, because it looks set to run and run, improving with each new year. And bottle-aged Riesling is a thing of immense beauty.

Emmerich Knoll’s winery in Unterloiben is one of Austria’s most famous and beloved estates. It’s run by Emmerich II and Monika Knoll, along with their son Emmerich III. Together they tend 18 hectares of vineyards in Austria’s premium winemaking region, Wachau. Their Grüner Veltliner and Riesling vines perch precariously on the steep slopes that run alongside the Danube River. Their iconic labels were introduced in 1962 and depict Saint Urban, the patron protector of winegrowers. We assume they pray to Saint Urban every time they head up on to their vertiginous vineyards. As their labels and lineage-observing naming suggest, this is quite a traditional family affair. Emmerich Knoll doesn’t go in for overblown and exuberant, preferring clean and precise wines that are built to last, only revealing their full potential after many years, or even decades.