Josef Fischer Gruner Veltliner 'Ried Frauenweingarten' Smaragd Wachau 2021
The Frauenweingärten encompasses the slopes between Rossatz and Rossatzbach, on the southern banks of the Danube, extending from the edge of the Dunkelstein forest down to just 25 meters from the river, and sloping up to a 48% incline. These northeast-facing hillsides are covered in a meter-thick deposit of glacial loess whose silty, sandy structure is ideal for Grüner Veltliner, and this loess is punctuated by sedimentary and granitic-gneiss elements which increase the soil’s porosity. Fischer’s 40-year-old parcel Grüner Veltliner in the Frauenweingärten yields a wine which beautifully combines weight and transparency, and offers deep, borderline viscous yellow fruits which rise toward an airy yet elongated finish of mineral-driven precision. It was fermented spontaneously and aged the better part of a year on its fine lees in stainless steel with minimal sulfur additions.