Josef Fischer Gruner Veltliner 'Ried Kreuzberg' Smaragd Wachau 2021

The north-facing, partly terraced Kreuzberg vineyard perches above Rossatz at a maximum slope of 59%, covering 27.05 hectares of paragneiss littered with amphibolite. Kreuzberg produces a profoundly stony and austere version of Grüner Veltliner, and Fischer employs used barrels between 500 and 1500 liters for 50% of the blend in order to mitigate the site’s tendency toward severity. Carrying a wisp of residual sugar, this masterful wine is nearly shocking in its mineral intensity—Riesling-like in that regard, in fact—with deep red fruits and tenacious cling on the palate.