Weingut Emmerich Knoll : Grüner Veltliner Vinothekfüllung Smaragd 2011

Tasting characteristics and advice for the Grüner Veltliner Vinothekfüllung Smaragd 2011 from Weingut Emmerich Knoll

Tasting

Appearance

The wine displays a yellow-green hue with golden highlights, reflecting full fruit maturity.

Nose

The nose reveals remarkable aromatic complexity. Notes of stone fruit are expressed with intensity, alongside tropical nuances reminiscent of pineapple and mango. A delicate spicy dimension emerges, with touches of white pepper typical of the grape variety and hints of tobacco. A dark minerality adds further depth to the whole.

Palate

On the palate, the wine impresses with its creamy, silky texture. The richness of the fruit comes through with purity, unveiling flavors of pear, sweet orange, and peach. Behind this generous fruitiness, a mineral structure takes shape, bringing balance and tension to the whole. Spices linger through a long, complex finish.

Food and wine pairings

This Grüner Veltliner Vinothekfüllung Smaragd 2011 pairs beautifully with white meats in creamy sauces, especially poultry with mushrooms. It also matches delicately with subtle fish, seafood, and hard mountain cheeses. Grilled vegetable dishes and herb-driven Asian cuisine also make excellent pairings.

Serving and cellaring

The Grüner Veltliner Vinothekfüllung Smaragd 2011 is ideally enjoyed at a temperature between 10 and 12°C. This age-worthy wine offers outstanding cellaring potential and will continue to evolve beautifully for many years.

An outstanding Grüner Veltliner from Wachau, the ultimate expression of Austrian terroir

The estate

Based in Unterloiben in Wachau in Lower Austria, Weingut Emmerich Knoll stands as an icon of Austrian viticulture. The Knoll family has grown vines in this region since 1825, but estate bottling truly began in the 1950s. In 1962, the baroque label depicting Saint Urban, patron saint of winegrowers, appeared and became one of Austria’s most recognizable labels. Today, Emmerich Knoll III runs the family estate and also presides over Vinea Wachau, the regional quality organization. The estate spans around fifteen to eighteen hectares across prestigious sites such as Loibenberg, Kellerberg, and Kreutles. Internationally acclaimed, Weingut Emmerich Knoll embodies the excellence of Austrian white wines through cuvées that combine power, minerality, and remarkable aging potential.

The vineyard

The grapes for this Grüner Veltliner Vinothekfüllung Smaragd 2011 come from a rigorous selection of parcels in Kreutles, Loibenberg, and Kellerberg. These steep terraced vineyards rise to 400 meters in the Wachau, a wine region listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The soils are primarily composed of 400-million-year-old Gföhl gneiss, a metamorphic rock that gives the wines their distinctive mineral character. The due-south exposure of Loibenberg, nicknamed the “oven of the Wachau,” captures optimal sunshine. The climate benefits from the influence of warm Pannonian air masses from the east, moderated by the Danube and cool nighttime breezes from the Waldviertel plateau. These conditions create a diurnal range that favors aromatic concentration while preserving freshness.

The vintage

The 2011 vintage in Austria is considered exceptional. An especially warm spring encouraged early budburst and flowering. After a cooldown in June and July, dry heat set in from mid-August through October, allowing for optimal ripening. Harvest took place over an extended period, enabling meticulous selection of perfectly healthy grapes. This sunny, ripe vintage produced white wines with generous body while preserving bright acidity and remarkable freshness. Climatic conditions made it easy to reach the Smaragd classification threshold while maintaining the balance and mineral tension that define the great wines of Wachau.

Vinification and aging

The Vinothekfüllung cuvée has represented, since 1988, the estate’s most rigorous selection of Grüner Veltliner. This designation, meaning “bottled for the library,” reflects Weingut Emmerich Knoll’s ambition to craft a wine intended for long aging. The Grüner Veltliner Vinothekfüllung Smaragd 2011 brings together fruit from the estate’s finest terroirs, vinified with a respectful approach that prioritizes the expression of place. In accordance with Vinea Wachau rules, no chaptalization or addition of concentrated must is practiced. Aging takes place in barrels, allowing the wine to develop complexity while preserving the purity of the fruit and the mineral integrity characteristic of the Knoll style.

Grape variety

100% Grüner Veltliner