Wine Review: Johann Donabaum Setzberg Riesling Smaragd 2005

This beautiful wine came courtesy of the good folks at Winemonger, with whom we've recently become acquainted (and who will be the subject of a future post, given their excellent site and focus on hard-to-find Austrian wines).

Being a big fan of dry Rieslings, and even semi-dry ones, I was eager to try this effort from Donabaum.  He's an up-and-comer on the Austrian wine scene and certainly has the whiff of prodigy about him:

At 26 years old, Johann Donabaum has taken over the reins as the cellarmaster of the relatively small 9 acre family winery in Spitz, whose total production each year is 2,100 cases (85% white, 10% red, 5% sweet)

He might seem terribly young to us here in America, but what you need to understand is that Johann has been in training for this his entire life. Training which included a stint working and learning from F X Pichler, perhaps the most famous vintner from the mighty Wachau region.

Further, Wine Spectator called Johann one of the three vintners leading the way in the famous Wachau region, and no less an authority than Jancis Robinson has also chimed in about his talents: One of the most impressive for quality - and without a doubt for value - was Johann Donabaum of the eponymous family winery of Spitz at the coolest, western end of the Wachau, Austria’s great dry white wine region….This is a name to watch.

After all that, the wine did not disappoint.  Lots of mineral aromas and citrus notes came together in the glass; I expected the wine to be sweeter for some reason but it was exactly the right level of dryness and acidity to pair with the simple ling cod preparation we served it with. 

The tasting notes say it could be cellared until 2019 but I don't know how it would last in the house for that long ... Finally, if scores matter to you, Wine Spectator gave it a 92 and Wine Enthusiast a 91.  Highly recommended!