Riesling Smaragd Klaus, Prager - 2018

Whenever someone asks what my favorite grape is, I don't hesitate with an answer: Riesling. It's usually met with a raised brow, except for those who know what this grape is capable of. Prager produces some of the finest expressions from Austria, and this 2012 is nothing short of extraordinary. Winemaker Toni Bodenstein is a geologist by training and knows his soils down to the merest pebble. Terroir is what shines through here, producing a wine with a purity of fruit, a laser-like focus. It's finely chiseled yet powerful. A swirl of the glass releases riesling's classic aromas of apple and the scent of a tire swing on a hot summer day, but that's only a hint of the riches that follow: citrus, white grapefruit, river stones, and a whisper of apples without a sign of sweetness. This is riesling at its finest, a treat worth every penny.