Josef Fischer Gruner Veltliner Ried Privat Smaragd 2018

Price drops to $25.95 per bottle when you purchase 6 or more bottles!

For centuries, the Fischer family has represented the cool, southern side of the Danube river – growing expressive, focused, and fresh grüner veltliners and rieslings that always deliver. Quality like this 95-pointer for less than $26 is almost unheard of...so don’t delay!

Josef Fischer is the fifth-generation winemaker in a family whose ties to the Wachau stretch across the centuries. They’ve seemingly always made their home here on the southern banks of the Danube river, which was long mocked as the “cool” part of the Wachau. Now, and for the last several years, “cool” has become the rallying call for the Fischers and their neighbors – embracing the terroir as global warming has its say, but also representing a new generation that has openly embraced the traditions of long-ago. Literally cooler, and now, figuratively cooler too – this producer is a rising star in the Wachau, with Josef leading the charge.

11 hectares of vineyards, all organically farmed, all on the southern side of the river, with a focus on grüner veltliner… Josef Fischer has crafted some spectacular wines since he took the helm in 2010 at just 21 years old. This Smaragd “Privat” represents a winery selection of the best-performing vineyards in each vintage, which for 2018 was the Kreuzberg and Kirnberg vineyards. No commercial yeasts, and a long, slow fermentation on the fine lees give his wines their signature style (plus aging for over a year in large 500-liter barrels). The effect is extraordinarily complex, particularly for an oftentimes linear grape like grüner, and this expression almost leans into the dry riesling category for its sheer voluptuousness. The rocky and meager vineyard sites impart a backbone of flinty minerality, but ripe pears, juicy green apples, and a myriad of citrus notes are the real stars here – all accented with green culinary herbs like sage, lemon thyme, and chervil, and finishing with a salted grapefruit tang that goes on impossibly.

Josef has become known for releasing his wines on his own time, when each vintage, vineyard, or blend tells him that it is ready – so don’t be fooled by the 2018 vintage stamp! This is fresh, concentrated, and very much alive with a vigor and depth that showcases an exemplary facet on the many faces of Austrian white wines. Tack on First Bottle’s free shipping deal on just 3 bottles of this – and you have one heck of a deal in the making!

PAIRING IDEAS: Oktoberfest is winding down, but that’s no reason to stop enjoying all that glorious food! (And this grüner makes an even better pairing!) Try it with wienerschnitzel and see what I’m talking about!