2017 F.X. Pichler Grüner Veltliner Liebenberg Smaragd

F.X. Pichler

Austria / Wachau / F.X. Pichler

The steeply terraced vineyard Liebenberg stretches west of Dürnstein - the last great Dürnstein site before you reach Weissenkirchen. Lucas Pichler ranks this cool spot among the most interesting single-vineyard sites of Wachau. It is located on meagre, weathered soils of gneiss and mica schist with an exposure from south to southwest. The nose shows spice, herbal freshness and yellow fruit; strongly mineral, but idiosyncratically so. Lovely wine with cool, slow fruit build and detail; excellent length and balance and a touch of 'X' factor in this vintage. - Ed Merrison, CellarHand

October, 2018

Stuart Pigott

jamessuckling.com

96 points

Lots of green-plum and wild-berry aromas, plus herbal freshness that beautifully balances the considerable power of this unusual Wachau Grüner Veltliner. Great tension through the long finish. From chalk-rich soil, a rarity for the region. Drink or hold.

December, 2018

Stephan Reinhardt

Wine Advocate

93 points

From a southwest-facing plot on calcareous soils, the 2017 Ried Liebenberg Grüner Veltliner Smaragd opens with a clear, super ripe and aromatic but coolish, spicy and mineral nose. The attack on the palate is racy and piquant, but the mid-palate is rich and powerful, almost sweet in its rich extract and with a salty-piquant acidity that rejuvenates the wine.

April, 2019

Mike Bennie

The Wine Front

92 points

Big, rich white of full scent and flavour, ripeness, oily uncutuous texture, concentration and yet appealing supple drinking. Ripe melon, ripe pear and ginger scents, similar to taste, an almost apricot conserve-like character. Geez, this dials in the big experience. You’ll have to strap in, but it’s worth it.

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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.