Franz Hirtzberger - Wachau Gruner Veltliner "Spitz" Steinfeder 2023 750ml (11.5% abv)
top-tier Gruner from a single village (Spitz) within Wachau
The Wachau valley is one of the most beautiful historic landscapes in the world and has been included, since 2000, as part of the UNESCO World Heritage. Here in between the Danube on the one side and the mountains on the other side is the of the village of Spitz located. Five generations of Hirtzbergers have lived here, tending the vines which have been planted in the Wachau Valley the 13th Century. Today wine is produced with all the modern know-how at our disposal, but still following the tradition of the Wachau valley and our family.
92 JS Intensely aromatic, with green apple, Reine Claude plum and green peppercorn aromas. For a light-bodied gruner veltliner this is astonishingly juicy and expressive. Long, silky finish with slightly salty minerality. Drink now
90 V harvested from the Donaugärten vineyards in Spitz and Schwallenbach on light soils. Since there is sufficient water, ripeness here is calibrated by yield. This explains the October harvest and the apparent ripeness. A touch of pale honey and white pepper combine on the nose, creating an impression far riper than a Steinfeder but reverting on the palate to fine pepperiness. The body has texture and fill, but always that lovely smattering of pepper that makes this an unmistakable yet atypical Grüner Veltliner Steinfeder. (Bone-dry)
91 F Pale yellow, green hints, silver reflections. An inviting bouquet with subtle herbal notes, hints of passion fruit and blossom honey. Elegant and finely structured, medium complexity, mineral, with notes of papaya on the long-lasting, salty finish. Already approachable.
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"Steinfeder" is a Wachau classification for the earliest-harvested, lightest-style wines, characterized by lower alcohol content and a refreshing, snappy quality.Â
For the last decades, no other name has impacted as profoundly on vinicultural activities in Spitz as Franz Hirtzberger’s. Franz the elder laid the foundations by identifying the best single-vineyard terraces, and by founding the Vinea Wachau together with some other big names of the region. Franz the second, who presides over the family’s 20 hectares of terraces since 1983, introduced a rigorous pursuit of high quality wines, which propelled the Hirtzberger vineyard into the very heart of the Wachau’s wine culture. Since 1988 (and for 24 years in the role of president of the Vinea), he has also been trying to communicate his beliefs to other winemakers in the region. Right at the centre of his philosophy resides the natural approach to wine cultivation and the careful understanding of the geological and climatic specificities of his terraces. These ideas have become widely accepted. The names of Franz Hirtzberger’s terraces – the Singerriedel, Honivogl, Rotes Tor, Hochrain, Axpoint, Pluris and the Steinborz – are synonyms for the greatest wines of the region. His passion for Riesling is manifest in the fact that Riesling grapes constitute 40% of his overall production. Veltliner shares this percentage, and Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Muscatel also feature in his range.  Franz the third is also fully active in the family’s vineyard, and responsible for everything that comes to pass in the wine cellar. The interventions in the cellar are minimal, but they contribute substantially to the unique characteristic notes of the Hirtzbergers’ famous wines.
region: Wachau, Austria
varietal: Gruner Veltliner
style: white
farming/cellar: The estate farms sustainably and hand-harvests fruit, fermenting with native yeasts and aging in stainless steel to preserve purity and freshness.
pairing: