Vanessa

9.3

This is the 2017 Franz-Josef (FJ) Gritsch Smaragd Riesling. 👌

It comes from the steep, sun-soaked Setzberg vineyard 🌱☀️ of the Wachau, Austria 🇦🇹 with ancient roots dating back to 1243 (one of the oldest recorded sites in the Wachau)!!

🤔 As a ‘Smaragd,’ wine law requires this wine to be at least 12.5% ABV which means it’s at the top of the ripeness scale, set up for deeply concentrated aromas and flavors.

This wine delivers on these expectations and more…

👁️ Despite being approx. 8 years old, it’s a vibrant lemon hue with pronounced 👃 aromas and flavors of papaya, golden delicious apple, quince, ripe apricot and white peach, blossom, gardenia, wet slate, beeswax, honeycomb, crushed stones, honeydew, buckwheat, saline, and blanched almond.

😝 It is indeed dry, with 13.5% ABV; it has a medium body with a textured mouthfeel 👄 and zesty acidity. The finish lingers.

💫 FJ Gritsch is rooted in Wachau traditions yet makes wines with modern precision, marrying heritage with authenticity and forward-thinking practices.

💯 Costing in the $20s, this wine has an impeccable quality to price ratio. It punches above its weight! 🥊

It’s certifiably delicious. 😋

Cheers to Smaragd Riesling of the Wachau — cheers to delish Gritsch wines!🥂 — a month ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.0

Light & flowery with rosewater, lichi, white grapes and guava. On the palate quite filigrane, Kabinett Style, as is if off-dry, yet quickly shows great acidity & a mineral streak turning fully dry.
This is very fresh, aromatic, perfect as an aperitif and far from banal. I like it a lot! — 5 years ago

FabianG

8.9

#wineaccess — 6 days ago

ESF

9.2

Generous nose of petrol & orchard fruit, cotton candy, quite decadent… some slate & Earth driven elements leading to equally impressive mid palate w/same orchard - all ripe and tinged w/powdered sugar. Round in the Mosel style, silky lithe yet zippy leading to finish w/just a hint of RS. In the pocket now — a year ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.2

2016 vintage — 4 years ago

Wolfgang Brych

9.6

Pasler, Satzer Graben, Pinot Gris, 2018. A dream of an orange wine. This is how this wine should taste. This wine is fun for more. The 13.5 % alcohol drinks easily. This wine is a success for the winemaker. — 5 years ago

Matthew Cohen

9.4

Nose: sort of closed. White and yellow flowers as it opens.

Palate: complex. Mineral. Not super dense. Elegant. Some dried apricot.

Long — 3 months ago

Jeremy Shanker

Sommelier at RN74

9.2

Still fresh and perfectly off dry at this point. — a year ago

Michael Mugmon

9.6

Happy new year from Vienna! — 3 years ago

with Amy

Weijie Shi (Jay)

9.1

Quite sweet, mango and ripe peach, nectarine on the nose. Very round and soothing on the palate, could use a bit more acidity. — 5 years ago