Weingut Emmerich Knoll : Riesling Vinothekfüllung Smaragd 2024

Tasting characteristics and advice for the Riesling Vinothekfüllung Smaragd 2024 from Weingut Emmerich Knoll

Tasting

Appearance

The color shows a bright golden-yellow hue, reflecting the concentration and exceptional ripeness of the grapes.

Nose

The nose reveals remarkable aromatic complexity, with notes of vineyard peach, nectarine and kumquat, accompanied by subtle touches of mango. Honeyed floral nuances mingle with a distinctive minerality reminiscent of flint, the signature of the Wachau’s primary soils.

Palate

The attack on the palate is powerful and structured, revealing an elegant, substantial body. The palate unfolds intense flavors of white-fleshed fruit, notably white peach and apricot, lifted by citrus dimensions and delicate herbal notes. The texture is finely integrated, carried by a vibrant acidity of around 5.6 grams per liter that brings tension and freshness. The finish, of exceptional length, lingers with persistent mineral accents.

Food and wine pairings

This Riesling Vinothekfüllung Smaragd 2024 pairs beautifully with seafood, particularly oysters, scallops and lobster. It also enhances delicate white fish prepared with lemon or fine-herb sauces. Herb-roasted poultry and pork dishes make excellent matches. Its structure also allows pairings with lightly spicy Asian cuisine, notably Thai dishes with tamarind and lemongrass.

Serving and cellaring

The Riesling Vinothekfüllung Smaragd 2024 is ideally enjoyed at a temperature between 10 and 12°C. It is recommended to open it a few hours before serving to allow its aromas to fully blossom. This wine can be enjoyed now but will continue to evolve until around 2043, developing complex tertiary aromas over the years.

An outstanding Riesling from the Wachau, the ultimate expression of Austrian terroir

The estate

Founded in 1825, Weingut Emmerich Knoll is one of the essential benchmarks of Austrian viticulture. Based in the Wachau region of Lower Austria, this family estate farms around fifteen hectares of vines spread across prestigious plots. Now led by Emmerich Knoll III, supported by his brother August, the estate has upheld for nearly two centuries a savoir-faire passed down from generation to generation. Internationally recognized for its dry white wines of remarkable mineral purity and exceptional aging potential, Weingut Emmerich Knoll has played a major role in establishing the Wachau’s global reputation as a leading wine region. Its baroque label depicting Saint Urban, patron saint of winegrowers, created in 1962 by the painter Stoitzner, has become one of Austria’s most famous.

The vineyard

The Riesling Vinothekfüllung Smaragd 2024 comes from the estate’s finest parcels in the Wachau, a wine region listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The vines thrive on steep terraced hillsides overlooking the Danube, benefiting from optimal exposure and the river’s reflected light. The soils are composed of primary rocks, notably gneiss and granite, which local winegrowers call "Urgestein". These ancient geological formations give the wines their distinctive minerality and taut structure. The continental climate, moderated by the presence of the Danube, creates significant temperature swings between day and night during the ripening period, encouraging aromatic development while preserving remarkable acidity. Harvesting is carried out exclusively by hand, allowing rigorous selection of grapes at optimal ripeness.

The vintage

The 2024 vintage in Austria proved particularly demanding for winegrowers. After a mild winter, spring was marked by devastating frosts that reduced yields in many Wachau vineyards. Summer then brought hot, dry conditions, with high temperatures in July and August creating water stress for the vines. Heavy September rains complicated picking decisions, forcing producers to choose the optimal moment between sanitary security and the pursuit of phenolic ripeness. The best-situated estates, such as Weingut Emmerich Knoll, were able to take advantage of post-rain conditions to obtain grapes combining concentration, balance and aromatic freshness. Despite these climatic challenges, the 2024 vintage produced well-ripened, balanced white wines with beautiful minerality.

Winemaking and aging

The winemaking of Riesling Vinothekfüllung Smaragd 2024 follows a philosophy of controlled minimalism aimed at preserving the authentic expression of the terroir. The grapes, harvested at a high level of ripeness and potentially affected by noble rot on certain parcels, are vinified without destemming, with the stems remaining in contact with the must during fermentation. Fermentation lasts ten to twenty days at temperatures between 23 and 26°C, using indigenous or selected yeasts depending on the conditions of the vintage. The wine is then aged in large neutral oak casks, thus avoiding pronounced woody aromas. Aging on fine lees, without stirring, adds complexity and texture while maintaining the wine’s characteristic freshness. The Vinothekfüllung designation is reserved for exceptional vintages and involves even more rigorous grape selection as well as extended aging.

Grape variety

100% riesling