“The trend is away from exaggeration and toward frankness and wholesomeness,” Lucas Pichler told Vinous Media’s David Schildknecht this time last year. Lucas was talking about the general shift in fine wine and dining, and how it was reflected by the best growers in the Wachau.
Certainly the comment is apt to describe the arc of this fabulous estate since Lucas has taken the reins. Purity, finesse and finely-etched lines have become the hallmark of F.X. Pichler.
Austria regards 2015 as an “excellent vintage with marvellous depth of fruit” for white wines in this part of the country. And there’s no doubt that this leading light of the Wachau was one of those that shone brightest. In the words of Wine Advocate’s Stephan Reinhardt, “Lucas Pichler has produced another outstanding collection.”
2015 F.X. Pichler Riesling Loibner Burgstall Federspiel RRP $64
Lots going on here, plenty of personality, plenty of drinkability, and a quiet savoury expression of riesling for those inclined. It shows honeydew, hay and candle wax scents, while the palate is a u-turn with its bustle of lime juice, almost spritzy acidity, white pepper and sour-lolly like tang. The acidity is actually amazing, and lingers brisk and squeaky long after each sip. It tightens up to a pucker through the dart-shaped finish too. It shows a touch of mealiness/biscuity funk from lees, I suspect, too. It’s very good, very interesting white wine here. 93+ points. Mike Bennie, The Wine Front April 2017
2015 F.X. Pichler Riesling Kellerberg Smaragd RRP $149
The 2015 Riesling Smaragd Dürnsteiner Kellerberg displays a clear, ripe and concentrated bouquet of white fruits intermixed with crystalline flavors of the weathered gneiss and granite soils. Full-bodied, piquant and full of tension, this is a stunningly clear and refreshing Smaragd from a warm year. The alcohol is well hidden and the finish is very long and vibrantly fresh. There is a lot of mineral tension and music in this wine that should be cellared for another five or six years. 93-94 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate June 2016
2015 F.X. Pichler Riesling M Smaragd RRP $156
MAGNUM RRP $313
A really delicious yellow-fruited, supple but powerful and complex wine. – Sam Hooper, CellarHand
2015 F.X. Pichler Riesling Unendlich Smaragd RRP $330
MAGNUM RRP $766
The 2015 Riesling Smaragd Unendlich follows the 2013. Sourced from the Loibenberg (50%), Kellerberg (25%) and Höhereck (25%) in the middle of November and assembled after the fermentation to age in a 3,500-liter oak vat for seven or eight months on the fine lees, this is very intense but precise and concentrated Riesling with a creamy texture and intense and well-structured fruit. The finish of this full-bodied and firmly structured wine is very long and complex. Well-dosed power here. 94-95 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate June 2016
2015 F.X. Pichler Grüner Veltliner Frauenweingarten Federspiel RRP $49
Always the lightest wine from FX Pichler, the 2015 Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Loibner Frauenweingarten is sourced from the flat vineyards in Dürnstein, Oberloiben and Unterloiben. The wine starts with a clear, ripe and intense fruit bouquet which leads to a medium-bodied, lovely juicy and fruit-intense palate with a vivacious, perfectly ripe acidity. Very digestible and ready to drink. 88 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate June 2016
2015 F.X. Pichler Grüner Veltliner Loibenberg Smaragd RRP $117
375ml RRP $70
From probably the warmest vineyard of the Wachau, the 2015 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Loibner Loibenberg is a full-bodied, rich and intense, very juicy, but also piquant and mineral Veltliner with tobacco flavors on the nose. Dense and with an old-vines intensity, this Loibenberg offers ripe yellow stone fruits with a tropical touch, but is also very well structured and finishes with a long and salty aftertaste. An impressive wine. 92-93 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate June 2016
2015 F.X. Pichler Grüner Veltliner M Smaragd RRP $149
375ml RRP $82
MAGNUM RRP $313
The 2015 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd M is a selection of the ripest (overripe) grapes from the Loibenberg, Kellerberg and Liebenberg. Harvested in the last week of November and macerated for 20 to 24 hours, this is a rich and creamy textured yet elegant and vibrantly fresh Veltliner monument with finesse and purity and a long and tension-filled finish. Great salinity and concentration. An elegant and expressive wine for XXL drinkers. 94-95 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate June 2016