2014 Prager Riesling Weissenkirchen Wachstum Bodenstein Smaragd
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The 2014 Riesling Smaragd Wachstum Bodenstein has a clear, intense and somewhat earthy, as well as stony bouquet. Pretty sweet but also pure and austere on the palate, this Riesling Smaragd is still searching its balance and lacks the stimulating purity that the Prager wines are normally well-known for. There is a good (biting) grip in the finish, but the sweetness is not yet integrated.
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Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate
David Schildknecht, Vinous
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Effusively fruity in aromatics and palate presence, this bottling emphasizes apple, kiwi and white peach. A bright, juicy streak of fresh lime helps keep things vibrant and refreshing, while cyanic suggestions of pip and pit lend an impressive glow, and salt and iodine a crustacean savor to the long finish. Given the high altitude and consequent late ripening of these vines, explains Bodenstein, they were less developed when the heaviest September rains fell and hence less affected by the botrytis and stem rot that prevailed in so many Wachau Riesling vineyards. That said, there is relatively high volatility here, and the peachy fruit exhibits a faint note of overripeness somewhat at odds with the brightness and bite of lime and apple. This is definitely one to revisit and reevaluate in 2016.