Prager’s Riesling Smaragd Klaus 2024 is a dry, 100% Riesling from the storied Ried Klaus vineyard in Weissenkirchen, in Austria’s Wachau. As a Vinea Wachau “Smaragd,” it sits in the region’s top dry category (minimum 12.5% alcohol), and this bottling comes in at 13%. The official technical information underscores its dry profile, with just 1.5 g/L residual sugar set against 7.8 g/L acidity. Production is notably small at 4,200 bottles.

Ried Klaus is a defining part of the wine’s character. The site is exceptionally steep—reported up to a 77% gradient—with a southeast-facing exposure and terraced vines on dark migmatite-amphibolite and paragneiss. The estate positions Klaus as its most forceful Riesling; as Toni Bodenstein puts it, Klaus is “not a charming Riesling,” and the vineyard is associated with a style that is “tightly wound and powerful.” In 2024, the wine was hand-harvested (in November) and spontaneously fermented in stainless steel, pointing to a clean, terroir-forward approach rather than overt cellar signature.

Critical response, where available, is emphatic. Falstaff’s Peter Moser awarded the 2024 Riesling Wachau DAC Ried Klaus Smaragd 98 points—an excellent, top-tier score that places it among the most highly rated dry Rieslings of the vintage. While full tasting-note detail isn’t provided here, the combination of the Klaus site’s steep, rocky profile, the wine’s low residual sugar, and that near-elite rating strongly suggests a Riesling aimed at intensity, structure, and longevity rather than immediacy.

For buyers, the headline is straightforward: a limited-production Smaragd from one of the Wachau’s benchmark Riesling vineyards, made in a dry, stainless-fermented style, and backed by a standout professional score.