🏰The 2012 Franz Hirtzberger Singerriedel Riesling Smaragd is a highly acclaimed Austrian Riesling, with critics rating it as high as 93-96 points, known for its intense yet finessed and wonderfully fresh character. This white wine from the Wachau valley, particularly the Singerriedel vineyard, benefits from extreme minerality of the soil, comprising gneiss, mica, schist, and other primary rocks. It offers a complex bouquet of apricot, nectarines, mangosteen, yellow plum, and lemon cream, with very perfumed inner mouth aromatics. The palate is beautifully balanced, creamy midpalate with medium acidity, and a long mineral slate finish, showcasing notes of mango, baked pear, sweet cream, and yellow flowers, turning savory with chive, ginger, and crushed rocks. The 2012 vintage for Austria was surprisingly good despite some hard weather, producing excellent Rieslings. 🍴 Chinese Cantonese food pairing: This complex and mineral-driven Riesling would be superb with delicate Cantonese steamed fish, or pan-fried prawns with garlic and butter. For Western cuisine, it's an excellent match for shellfish, crab, lobster, pork, poultry, spicy food, or cured meats. 🥂 fit for event suggestion: An ideal wine for a sophisticated seafood dinner, a special summer gathering, or a focused tasting of top Austrian Rieslings. It is just entering its peak drinking phase and has lots of life left.