Starts out with floral aromas, picking up passion fruit and grapefruit notes as it builds on the palate. Very sleek and streamlined in profile, with a citrus finish. Drink now through 2028. 800 cases made, 50 cases imported.??–BS??Region: Austria / Nieder?sterreich / Wachau Select to Add

Apple and lanolin flavors lead off, with hints of citrus and spice in the background. Vivid, showing an almost metallic element on the finish. Drink now. 833 cases made, 50 cases imported.??–BS??Region: Austria / Nieder?sterreich / Wachau Select to Add

A rich style of wine, with a smooth and velvet texture that brings out a creamy character. There is freshness from green apple and peach juice flavors, the acidity a great counterpoint to the ripe fruits. ——R.V.(10/1/2010)—— 91

In contrast with last year, the Weingartner's 2007 Riesling Smaragd Achleiten displays a certain amount of botrytis-engendered bitterness. Its floral aromas seem especially bitter-sweet and mingle with pungent citrus oils. Formidably-concentrated and palpably dense, with some fine suggestions of peach and nut oil richness emerging on the palate, and with striking penetration, it leaves behind an impression of citrus zest and chili peppers. This is going to bear watching and might be worth cellaring for several years. Roman Horvath and Heinz Frischengruber are on a roll now, so one wants to root for their retaining the marvelous value that has distinguished Freie Weingartner wines in their best periods, because top-flight Wachau wines at prices like theirs are scarcely available anywhere else. Yields on Gruner Veltliner in 2007 were a bit high for optimal, Frischengruber opines, but then, the yields in Riesling obviously came at the expense of botrytis. And it goes without saying that selectivity is a challenge in coop situations, even though one which the team here has previously proven themselves capable of meeting. Nearly 40% of production was picked as Steinfeder, a quality grade all but missing last year, and whose volume in this vintage permitted enhanced attention to the fruit that remained for Federspiel and Smaragd. All of the wines reviewed below are bottled under the -Domane Wachau- label.Importer: Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700.