Product Description
98 points Falstaff
"Pale yellow-green, silver glints. Softly scented nuances of meadow herbs, delicate white apple fruit, a hint of mango, orange zest, and a mineral-smoky touch. Complex, juicy, elegant nuances of yellow stone fruit, subtle arc of acidity, silkiness, a hint of lime, persistence, and minerality, followed by resonating expression of fruits. Promising ageing potential."
95 points James Suckling
"Intense and delicate nose of white peach, Asian pear and spring blossoms, with only a tiny hint of pepper. Ripe and succulent, with more than enough concentration, this is an exceptionally graceful and beautifully balanced gruner veltliner."
94 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
"Prager's 2021 Ried Achleiten Grüner Veltliner Smaragd is super clear, fresh and stony on the nose, with bright fruit of cooked apples and fine spice. It is compact and powerful on the palate, but also quite saturating and—in the Zalto Universal glass—also distinctive. It might possibly be better from the Burgundy goblet."
Jancis Robinson
"Full bottle just 1,268 g.
Very pale greenish straw. Restrained mineral nose. But great intensity, integrity and composure on the palate. Great structure. Upright wine in which the high alcohol is completely subsumed into the wine on the palate. It has wonderful, almost grainy, texture and a hint of particularly ripe passion fruit. Some alcohol evident on the finish at this stage, however, which I hope will be less obvious with time. 17.5/20 points.
Vinous Reverie Notes
Prager is in the highest echelon of Austrian producers. Smaragd is a designation of ripeness for dry wines - a minimum alcohol of 12.5%. Ried Achleiten sits east of Weißenkirchen and is one of the most famous vineyards in the Wachau. The steeply-terraced vineyard has existed since Roman times. Some sections have just 40 cm of topsoil over the bedrock of Gföler Gneiss, amphibolitic stone, and slate. Tasting Notes: Prager’s stylistic signature is that of aromatic complexity coupled with power and tension. High-density planting and long hang times ensure ripe fruit flavors and concentration, yet allowing leaves to shade the fruit lend vibrant aromatics of grasses, herbs, and wildflowers. Minerality is a constant feature of any Prager wine.
