Weingut Hirsch Ried Heiligenstein Zöbing Riesling Erste Lage, Kamptal DAC 2017

A dry, single-vineyard Riesling from the legendary Ried Heiligenstein above Zöbing — a classified Erste Lage (first-growth) and one of Austria's greatest terroirs — farmed biodynamically by Weingut Hirsch. Its rare, 270-million-year-old desert sandstone and volcanic soils give the wine an unmistakable smoky, spicy minerality. The ripe 2017 vintage, now carrying the complexity of bottle age, offers peach, apricot and citrus alongside exotic spice, dried herbs, honey and the first flinty, petrol-tinged notes of maturity. Concentrated and taut, it runs on a vivid, saline acidity to a long, stony finish. Superb now and over the coming decade, it is a classic match for richer fish, poultry, veal or spiced Asian cuisine.