2012 F.X. Pichler Grüner Veltiner Loibenberg Smaragd

F.X. Pichler

Austria / Wachau / F.X. Pichler

This is one of the steepest and most austere primitive-rock sites encountered in Loiben. Loibnerberg, one of Wachau's largest coherent single vineyards, is fully exposed to the south and accordingly warm and sunny. The wines derived from this site are shaped by the unique composition of this first-class primitive-rock soil, which imparts longevity to them. Here, opulent, intense and yet subtle wines develop – Riesling showing a fruity texture (peach, apricot) and Grüner Veltliner being full-bodied with underlying minerality, even slightly smoky and tobacco notes.

David Schildknecht

Wine Advocate

91 points

Pear, cantaloupe and winter squash created sweet earthy suggestions in the nose and on the plush palate of Pichlers’ 2012 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Loibenberg, to which a dash of white pepper adds sizzling and unexpected counterpoint in a long, energetic finish. Here is a wine at once soothing and stimulating, its luscious fruit and incisive cut mutually complementary. “In cool years,” notes Lucas Pichler, “the Loibenberg is going to be ahead by a nose, while in warm years it will be Steinertal. I would plan on following this through 2020.

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About F.X. Pichler

"Everything here seems stylish, cultured and intelligently managed," wrote Sophie Otton of her recent visit to FX Pichler - which is, she notes, "widely regarded as Austria's finest estate". "Most of the wines here are Smaragd, which indicates the quality of their vineyard sites," Sophie observes. "Looking down the hillside to the Danube, it's obvious, the aspect is perfect. The wines are striking, like cut crystal, with strong clear lines; succulent, satiny and honeyed." The new winery, completed in 2010, is a stunning piece of design, with an imposing bank of stainless steel vats, side by side with the old oak foudres that are used for aging but not fermentation. The Pichlers use long maceration times – 20 hours for the Smaragds - and bottle direct from cask after eight months or so aging on lees. These exceptional wines have every inch of the finesse of Prager, but communicated through a slightly more open, loose- knit framework.

About

In 1971, Lucas Pichler’s father Franz-Xaver started running the estate, and would go on 41 years later to win a lifetime achievement award for his efforts from German magazine Der Feinschmecker. 1999 was the year that Lucas took over winemaking duties from his father, who continues to tend the vines. FX Pichler’s vineyards comprise some 18 hectares, of which around 47% are planted to Riesling (the rest is almost entirely Grüner Veltliner). A fraction less than half the area under vine sprawls across steeply rising terraces. This winemaking process presupposes multi-pass manual picking of premium-quality, highly ripe grapes followed by careful processing and traditional maturation in large oak casks. Lucas aims for naturalness and distinctiveness by forgoing chaptalisation and fining.