Domane Wachau, Achleiten, Gruner Veltliner, Smaragd 2005
Let’s decipher this label.
Domane Wachau
Domane Wachau - a collective of some of the best grape growers and wine producers in Austria. They make up 30% of the Wachau vine-growing region, and wine labeled under their name are generally in the top percentages of Austrian wines in general.
Achleiten - A single vineyard where all the grapes used in this bottle were grown.
Gruner Veltliner - A type of grape that people who “love wine” (but who are too cheap timid to really explore riesling) will rank as their favorite white wine grape.
Smaragd - a semetically rooted word for “emerald” which in Austrian wine country refers to the emerald lizards that live in healthiest vineyards, or in technical terms it is the 1) highest quality of Wachau Austrian wine and 2) the designation for grapes that were picked at their apogee of ripeness (think hours before rot sets in).
"Emerald" Lizard
2005 - yes, four years ago… some great whites need to AGE! Ageable wine is my excuse for getting to buy WAY more than I could ever possibly drink.
This specific bottles tastes like quince jelly, lime jelly, and petroleum on the nose… the middle is full of nectarine… the petroleum dies away to dogwood flowers on a Fingerlakes tree after about two hours of breathing. It’s about as thick of an unoaked wine as you can find.
I had it with dilled beef, appenzeller, and blackberries.