Franz Hirtzberger, Riesling Ried Setzberg Smaragd, 2024 Vineyard Brands Tasting a Japanese winemaker of Chinese

a Japanese winemaker of Chinese origins

floral notes

As always with this tiny

and a hundred-year commitment

and subtle earthy notes—typical of Pinot Noir from this terroir

Franz Hirtzberger, Riesling Ried Setzberg Smaragd, 2024 Vineyard Brands Tasting a Japanese winemaker of ChineseOne of Hirtzberger's great Spitz crus, in the Smaragd tier that Wachau reserves for its most complete dry Rieslings. Setzberg sits on pure gneiss primary rock, no loess softening and the resulting wine is all about cool mineral spine and citrus precision rather than tropical opulence. 2024 was a vintage that rewarded patient, healthy fruit, and Hirtzberger's terraced parcels (rebuilt stone by stone over decades) delivered Riesling with serious