Riesling from Austria

Vinous, 95 points: The nose here fascinates in a distinctively Nikolaihof manner. Elusive suggestions of moss and lichen on wet stone, mothball and salt spray, along with herbal and floral essences introduce a palate performance that adds...

Vinous, 94 points: (93-94 points) Whereas its 2012 predecessor was bottled in April 2015, this 2013 was still several weeks out from bottling when I last tasted it in June 2016. The combination of richness with juiciness and levity, as well...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 94 points: The 2015 Riesling Smaragd Wachstum Bodenstein is from the Seiberberg (420 to 460 meters) that was planted in 1990 with a high variability of Riesling plants. Picked very late (late October), this Riesling displays great...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 92 points: Intense in color (straw-golden) and bouquet (ripe and concentrated yet precise fruits, with stony/flinty flavors), the 2012 Riesling Steiner Hund shows some earthy and herbal flavors along with white fruits. Aged for 2.5...

jamessuckling.com, 96 points: Even richer wine than the 2016 riesling Smaragd from the great Klaus site. Sleek for 14% alcohol with enormous depth and concentration, but also a minty note and great candied lemon and mineral freshness at the long...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 96 points: Pichler's 2013 Riesling Smaragd Weissenkirchner Achleithen combines its deep and spicy minerality with intense (almost dried) apple aromas on the nose. On the palate this rich, full-bodied and tightly woven Riesling is a...

Wine Enthusiast, 95 points: A barely-there glimpse of lemon bids you to step closer and take a sip. The palate unfolds in a still tightly contained bundle of lemon zest and juiciness. There is an undertow of riper texture, reminiscent of bitter...

Vinous, 90 points: Picking for this was very late for its genre, but in the high-elevation terraces that dominate this bottling, must weights remained very modest, resulting in what a time traveler visiting from the 1980s would recognize as...

Wine Spectator, 93 points: A rich, focused white, with pure, lush flavors of apple, Asian pear and gooseberry accented by engaging notes of salted almond. Lemon cream and spice details linger on the ripe, rich finish. Refined and alluring. Drink...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 95 points: Precise and concentrated in its ripe, bright, lemon-fresh and intense Riesling aromas, the 2013 Riesling Smaragd Steinriegl has a full-bodied, highly elegant and densely textured palate with an enormously long and...

Wine Spectator, 93 points: A lush, ripe style, with plenty of rich smoky notes to the ripe peach, nectarinem and melon and prosciutto flavors. Offers a broad structure, with an intense finish of tarragon cream and spice. Drink with roast pork...

Wine Spectator, 90 points: A ripe style, with richly textured flavors of peach, pear and dried apricot, layered with vanilla notes. Creamy accents show on the finish. Drink now through 2018. 2,000 cases made. –KM