2021 Hirsch Riesling Gaisberg Smaragd | 99pt Austrian Masterpeice

An extraordinary single-vineyard Riesling from one of the great sites of the Kamptal

Concentration, elegance and breathtaking mineral precision from the master of Kamptal.

99 Points – JamesSuckling.com | 97 Points – Falstaff

Kamptal DAC, Austria | Ried Gaisberg 1ÖTW, Zöbing | RRP $120 | Single-Vineyard Riesling | Biodynamic | Powerful • Mineral • Filigree

“An extraordinary expression of Gaisberg — white peach, flowers and stone wrapped around remarkable concentration, precision and an almost endless mineral finish.”

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Pale golden yellow with green-silver reflections — bright, youthful and beautifully clear.

Aroma: An elegant and captivating bouquet of white peach, vineyard peach, white flowers and lime, gradually revealing delicate tropical fruit, subtle spice and a cool mineral character.

Palate: This is where Gaisberg really shows its class. There's tremendous concentration, yet the wine never feels heavy. Ripe stone fruit and citrus are carried by beautifully fine acidity, with a salty, stony mineral character giving the palate extraordinary precision and energy.

Finish: Exceptionally long, persistent and mineral — the fruit slowly fades, leaving salt, stone, citrus and fine floral notes hanging on the palate.

Critical Acclaim

99 Points – JamesSuckling.com

Stuart Pigott describes a remarkable combination of concentration and elegance, highlighting white peaches and white flowers before focusing on the extraordinary contrast between immense density and delicacy through the almost endless finish.

His assessment captures exactly what makes this wine so exciting:

Enormous concentration without sacrificing finesse.

97 Points – Falstaff

Peter Moser found white flowers, vineyard peach and lime, followed by a juicy, elegant palate with fine acidity, subtle tropical fruit and a salty, persistent finish.

Falstaff describes it as a slender, finesse-driven style with excellent ageing potential.

The Gaisberg Vineyard

The Ried Gaisberg 1ÖTW is one of the great Riesling vineyards of the Kamptal.

Situated at the southern foothills of the Manhartsberg mountain range, the vineyard faces southwest, giving the vines excellent exposure while retaining the freshness necessary for great Riesling.

But what really defines Gaisberg is the geology.

The soils are predominantly non-calcareous siliceous brown earth, with a sandy, slightly silty structure and significant quantities of grit and stone.

Beneath sits:

Weathered mica schist.

There are also occasional lenses of amphibolite and remnants of loess.

These rocky, mineral soils help produce Rieslings of concentration, tension, precision and tremendous length.

Gaisberg sits close to the legendary Heiligenstein, yet produces a distinctly different expression of Kamptal Riesling.

Where Heiligenstein can be extraordinarily exotic and powerful, Gaisberg often combines stone-fruit intensity with a cooler, stonier and beautifully filigree personality.

This is Riesling with both muscle and finesse.

Vineyard & Winemaking

At Weingut Hirsch, the vineyard always comes first.

The estate is one of Austria's leading proponents of biodynamic viticulture, and the Gaisberg fruit is:

• Biodynamically farmed with Respekt certification
• Sourced from the prestigious Ried Gaisberg 1ÖTW
• Fermented and matured using a combination of large neutral oak casks and stainless steel
• Made to preserve vineyard character, natural freshness and mineral precision
• Bottled under screwcap to protect purity and longevity

The finished wine sits at 13% alcohol.

There is no attempt to overwhelm the vineyard with winemaking.

The objective is Gaisberg in the glass.

And that's precisely what you get.

What Does 1ÖTW Mean?

The 1ÖTW designation is important.

It identifies vineyards classified by the Österreichische Traditionsweingüter as Erste Lage — Premier Cru-level sites.

These are vineyards recognised for their ability to consistently produce wines of exceptional quality and distinctive terroir expression.

Gaisberg is firmly among them.

For lovers of German wine, the easiest comparison is the philosophy behind the VDP's great vineyard classifications: identify the sites capable of producing Austria's most distinctive and ageworthy wines.

This isn't simply Kamptal Riesling.

It's single-vineyard Gaisberg Riesling.

Region

Kamptal DAC, Austria – Ried Gaisberg 1ÖTW, Zöbing

The Kamptal is one of Austria's great white-wine regions, producing world-class Riesling and Grüner Veltliner.

Warm days allow Riesling to achieve flavour and concentration, while cooler nights help preserve the acidity that gives these wines their energy and extraordinary ageing ability.

Within the region, vineyards such as Heiligenstein and Gaisberg represent the pinnacle.

And Hirsch has become one of the producers most closely associated with expressing these extraordinary sites.

Food Pairings

This has enough concentration for serious food while retaining the acidity and minerality to keep everything fresh.

Beautiful with:

• Grilled lobster or prawns
• Kingfish, snapper or tuna sashimi
• Roast pork with apple
• Duck with citrus
• Thai dishes with lemongrass, ginger and kaffir lime
• Vietnamese seafood
• Roast chicken with herbs
• Soft and washed-rind cheeses

Or forget the food.

Get a big glass, don't serve it too cold, and watch this evolve.

This is Riesling that rewards time in the glass.

Why We Love It

Great Riesling is about contradictions.

Power without heaviness.

Ripeness without sweetness.

Concentration without sacrificing precision.

Minerality without austerity.

The 2021 Hirsch Gaisberg Riesling delivers all of them.

James Suckling's 99-point review particularly nails the essence of the wine — its remarkable combination of almost unbelievable density with delicacy and finesse.

Then Falstaff adds another 97 points, praising its elegance, salty persistence and ageing potential.

And underneath those scores is a serious vineyard.

Ried Gaisberg 1ÖTW.

Biodynamically farmed.

Mica-schist soils.

One of the great Riesling sites of the Kamptal.

One of Austria's benchmark producers.

And an RRP of $120.

For collectors of great Riesling, this is exactly the sort of bottle that belongs in the cellar.

It has the fruit and energy to be magnificent now, but the concentration, acidity and mineral structure suggest a fascinating evolution ahead.

Powerful. Filigree. Saline. Monumentally long.

The 2021 Hirsch Gaisberg Riesling is a 99-point expression of one of Austria's great vineyards — and a brilliant example of why the finest dry Austrian Rieslings belong among the world's great white wines.