Riesling, Federspiel, “Ried Steiger”

While Grüner Veltliner thrives in the loess-dominated sites of the Wachau, Riesling prefers poorer soil. Situated close to the Danube itself on a gentle 29% incline, Rossatz’s Steiger vineyard is rich with paragneiss and littered with crushed stones, and Fischer works a parcel of 25-year-old Riesling here. The tensile, saline Riesling Federspiel, typically measuring 12% alcohol with 3-1/2 grams per liter of residual sugar, counterposes smoky, clinging minerality with torpor-conquering acidity to create an irresistible sense of tension. Harvested in late September, it was fermented spontaneously and aged the better part of a year on its fine lees in stainless steel with minimal sulfur additions.