Austria at Its Finest, Its Purest
2011 Alzinger Rieslings: Steinertal,
Hohereck & Loibenberg
"You wouldn't be surprised if the cellarmaster were the Dalai Lama." -Terry Theise
It's very hard to know where to start with Alzinger - they are haunting in their detail, their precision. There are no other wines in Austria this fine.
The Theise quote above gets to the essence of things: The Rieslings of Alzinger whisper: they are quiet, angelic, crystal clear with flawless balance, clarity.
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Of course, if you're receiving this, you're already well aware of all this. The issue with Alzinger is always scarcity.
The 2011 vintage in Austria was defined by a cool summer and then, a gloriously sunny, nearly perfect, late summer and early fall. By all accounts, Riesling is the darling of the vintage. At its best, there's an extroverted aromatics of clear fruit with a backdrop of minerals to the 2011s. This is a fleshier vintage, for sure, but in the hands of Alzinger everything remains very disciplined and finely etched.
Today, we're offering three of Alzinger's top 2011 Rieslings:
Hohereck
Hohereck is a famous little sliver of a vineyard, tucked between the Kellerberg and Hollerin, two "Grand Cru" sites of serious stature and reputation. Hohereck combines a firm mineral elegance with a muscular depth of fruit and complexity. Alzinger owns a mere sliver in this elite site. A rare bottling.
Loibenberg
One of Austria's most famous sites. Loibenberg combines raw power with a nuanced depth of complexity. This is Alzinger's richest wine.
Steinertal
Alzinger's Magnum Opus - the apex of his style. Alzinger's Steinertal delivers a finessed and delineated expression of minerals, flowers and fruit. There's an intangible sense of completeness to this wine.
Alzinger's level of quality, his consistency speaks for itself. There's not much left to be said besides that we'll likely have to allocate. Please give us your ideal order and we'll allocate as best as we can.
To order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits