February 25, 2025
Some wineries make good wine. Some make great wine. And then there’s Weingut Knoll, which has been making mind-blowingly precise, mineral-driven Riesling in Austria’s Wachau Valley since before most of us were born.
Knoll is not just a winery; it’s an institution. A Wachau legend. The kind of place where wine isn’t just made—it’s composed, conducted and orchestrated with the mastery of a Beethoven symphony. Riesling isn’t just a grape here, it’s a revelation. If other Rieslings are Spotify singles, Knoll’s are first-press vinyl. Their vineyards, perched on the steep, sun-drenched slopes of Wachau’s Loibenberg and Kellerberg, produce wines that are equal parts precision and poetry.
They take a minimalist, old-school approach to winemaking: no flashy tricks, no trendy interventions. Just focus, patience, and an obsession with letting their vineyards do the talking. They pick late, ensuring full ripeness, but never push for over-extraction. The wines ferment naturally with indigenous yeasts, giving them a sense of place so strong you might start speaking German halfway through your glass. They age in large, neutral oak casks—not to add flavor, but to let the wines breathe and develop their trademark balance of power, elegance, and laser-sharp minerality.
The result? Some of the most profound white wines in the world—tense, layered, and packed with energy. And lucky for you, we have three of their masterpieces:
2023 Ried Loidenberg Loibner Riesling Federspiel
Think of this as Riesling’s version of a tightly written short story—sharp, electric, and packed with energy. It’s all citrus and white flowers on the nose, followed by a crisp, mouthwatering acidity that zips across your palate like a well-tuned sports car. The mineral backbone is unmistakable, the finish clean and refreshing. If you’ve ever wanted a wine that feels like bottled adrenaline (without the impending crash), this is it.
2022 Loibner Riesling Smaragd
A wine that refuses to be rushed. It’s richer, fuller, and more complex than its Federspiel counterpart, taking its time to unfold layer by layer. Ripe apricots, Meyer lemon, and hints of jasmine intertwine with a deep, almost oceanic minerality. It starts off bright and zesty but evolves into something rounder and more textured as it lingers on the palate. This is the kind of wine that changes over the course of an evening—assuming it lasts that long.
2022 Ried Kellerberg Smaragd
you’re looking for the pinnacle of Wachau Riesling, you’ve found it. This is the heavyweight, the grand statement, the cinematic masterpiece. From the first sip, it commands attention with its depth and intensity. Stone fruit, honeyed citrus, and crushed herbs dance around a powerful core of wet stone and saline minerality. The structure is impeccable, the finish seemingly endless. It’s a wine that feels almost too serious—until you realize that drinking something this good is, in itself, an indulgent kind of fun.
These are small allocations from one of the most respected wineries in Austria. Once they’re gone, they’re gone. Swing by BayTowne Wine & Spirits or contact us today to claim yours now.