2014 F.X. Pichler Riesling 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.

February, 2016

David Schildknecht

Vinous Media

94 points

Fresh and distilled mirabelle, red raspberry and white peach combine for an ethereally high-toned and penetrating aroma followed by a lusciously fruity, expansive palate impression. Yet for all of its generous fruitiness, this also reveals mineral elements including shimmering crystallinity and sheer stoniness. A salty, piquant impression of peach close to the core, along with zesty, bittersweet orange and lemon peel, make for a memorably intense yet mouthwatering and far from severe finish. As usual, Pichler raised this wine entirely in tank, successfully counteracting the site’s tendencies toward excessive breadth and loss of levity.

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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.