Alzinger Riesling Loibenberg Smaragd 2024

Alzinger Riesling Loibenberg Smaragd is a dry Wachau Riesling from Weingut Alzinger, a small family estate farming 11 hectares in Lower Austria. It comes from the Loibenberg, a steep, sun-facing terrace of primary rock, gneiss and weathered stone that drains quickly and reflects heat, giving the ripe fruit that defines the Smaragd category, the Wachau's fullest and driest classification. The continental climate along the Danube brings warm days and cold nights, and this wide diurnal range lets the Riesling ripen fully while holding the racy acidity and mineral tension that mark the site. Vinification is clean and reductive to preserve aromatics, with the wine kept dry despite its ripeness and concentration. The colour is bright straw yellow. The nose is precise and expressive, with white peach, apricot, lemon and white flowers over a clear wet-stone minerality. The palate is dry, concentrated and firm, the ripe stone fruit driven by high acidity and a long, saline, mineral finish. This is a young wine that will reward a few years in bottle. Serve at 10 to 12 degrees.