Domane Wachau Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Ried Liebenberg 2023
(Wachau, Austria) - [JS 92] [VM 92]

About the Winery:
Domäne Wachau is a “next generation” wine cooperative led by Roman Horvath MW and Heinz Frischengruber, and is Austria's leading estate with organically farmed vineyards. Its vignerons work in small parcels — each cultivating under two hectares on average, mostly by hand — across the Wachau's steep, terraced slopes above the Danube. The estate's grand single-vineyard (Ried) wines, from sites like Achleiten, Brandstatt and Kellerberg, express the sparse gneiss soils and cool, fresh Wachau acidity that define the region.

About This Wine:
The Ried Liebenberg vineyard sits between Weissenkirchen and Dürnstein, one of the area's south- and southwest-facing sites known for its dry-stone terrace walls, elegance and cool minerality. Bottled at Federspiel level — Wachau's middle weight classification, between the lighter Steinfeder and the riper Smaragd — this Grüner Veltliner is fermented in stainless steel and finished under screwcap for maximum freshness.

92 Points - James Suckling:
"This has attractive notes of sliced apple, fresh melon and nectarine, with freshness and purity, followed by a medium-bodied, crunchy palate. Hard to resist. Drink now. Screw cap." -James Suckling (Sep 2024)

92 Points - Vinous:
"The 2023 Grüner Veltliner Liebenberg Federspiel grows in a mix of paragneiss and amphibolite and is from vines between 60 and 100 years old. It is fermented in stainless steel and a large neutral barrel. The merest touch of white miso and pepper appears on the shy nose. Immediate, smooth and rounded ripeness defines the body, whereas yeasty juiciness suggests both stone fruit and pear, ripe but still crunchy. Concentration on the palate brings out zestiness rather than yeast and continues in a sinuous, smooth, balanced flow towards the fresh finish that captures ripeness as much as brightness. (Bone-dry) Drinking Window: 2024-2034." -Anne Krebiehl MW (Jul 2024)