Knoll Riels.Ried Pfaffenberg Selection

From the Pfaffenberg — one of the great vineyard sites of the Wachau — comes this Riesling with the density and backbone for which Knoll is known. Not a wine for a quick sip, but one that grows with time in the glass.

Weingut Knoll in Unterloiben is one of the reference addresses of the Wachau. Emmerich Knoll and his son manage their vineyards on the banks of the Danube according to traditional principles: selective hand-picking, spontaneous fermentation, aging in large wooden barrels. The Pfaffenberg, with its primary rock and gneiss-weathered soils, provides Rieslings of extraordinary minerality and storage capacity.

On the nose, peach, mirabelle, and some dried apricot — underscored by a fine stone-dust tone that does not deny its origin. On the palate, the "kernel-like structure" of the original shows itself as what it is: a taut acidity line that holds fruit and minerality together without biting. The finish is long, salty, slightly spicy.

• Food: Zander with caper butter, Wiener fried chicken, mature mountain cheese
• Temperature: 10–12 °C