The Knoll family has been farming vineyards in the village of Unterloiben since the early nineteenth century. Now led by Emmerich Knoll III, the family works sixteen hectares of steep, terraced vineyards along the northern bank of the Danube, planted primarily to grüner veltliner and riesling across some of the Wachau’s most storied sites: Schütt, Loibenberg, Kellerberg, Kreutles. They ferment with native yeasts in stainless steel and large neutral oak casks, releasing nothing before it is ready. Their iconic Saint Urban label, first used in 1962, has become one of the most recognizable images in Austrian wine.

This Federspiel is a village-level riesling from parcels around Loiben and Dürnstein, grown on primary rock soils of gneiss and mica schist. Federspiel wines at Knoll are fermented and aged in stainless steel, capturing the variety’s aromatic clarity and the site’s mineral signature without the weight or oak influence of the Smaragd bottlings.

The 2022 leads with lime blossom and white nectarine, followed by a focused, crystalline acidity and a finish of wet river rock. Medium-bodied, elegant, and dry, with a long mineral finish. Riesling at its most transparent.