Franz Hirtzberger, Riesling Hochrain Smaragd, 2024 CHAMPCT0612 Forest belongs to the new

Forest belongs to the new wave of Mâconnais growers producing whites with Côte d'Or-level precision at very fair Mâcon prices

Partial whole-cluster fermentation and aging in used barrels bring lift and subtle earthiness

and Fichet handles it the way he handles everything: hand farming

Serve chilled as an aperitif

and a hint of green herbs

Franz Hirtzberger, Riesling Hochrain Smaragd, 2024 CHAMPCT0612 Forest belongs to the newAnother of Hirtzberger's celebrated Spitz crus, this one with a slightly different signature Hochrain sits on weathered crystalline rock with a thin overlay of sandy loam, which gives the Smaragd a touch more flesh than its purely gneiss bound siblings. Still unmistakably Wachau: cool, mineral, vertical, built for the long haul. 2024 brought clarity and tension to the vineyard, and the result is a Riesling that opens with white peach and apricot