Hirsch

Zoom! went this agency, from out of nowhere to the top. Stellar-quality wines from a star-quality vintner at reasonable prices. AND AVAILABILITY IS GOOD. Fantastic 2001s constitute the seventh consecutive “1st Growth” vintage from this emerging superstar. For such great wines these are comparatively “easy” to understand: they’re juicy and spicy and their flavors are candid and animated. Specific nuances are, as always, determined by the vineyard. Frau Selbach would say they have CARAMBA! I, in an uninhibited moment, could imagine myself saying they HAVE BOOTIE AND CAN SHAKE IT.

•Vineyard area: 20 hectares
•Annual production: 10,800 cases
•Top sites: Lamm, Gaisberg, Heiligenstein
•Soil types: Loess, eroded mica slate topped with
brown soil, eroded primary rock with desert
sands and volcanic particles
•Grape varieties: 60% Grüner Veltliner,
35% Riesling, 5% Chardonnay