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.
Riesling Kellerberg Smaragd 2021
There is an international consensus that Kellerberg is the absolute model vineyard. This vertiginous, barren and purist primitive-rock terrace, which is exposed from south to south-east and located at the exit of a side valley, creates a very special microclimate. The Kellerberg vineyard is already pampered by the sun early in the morning. During night, cool air streaming in from the bordering woods fosters the development of the complex texture and delicately nuanced, usually exotic aromas and flavors typical of this wine. In fall, large temperature differences between day and night shape the grapes. Honey melon, mango, passion fruit, banana and fully ripe peach, concise minerally notes as a dowry of the meager, weathered soil, and the extremely deeply rooting old vines make the wines of this site unparalleled and outstanding. We are fascinated about the wines from Kellerberg due to their filigree elegance, which can hardly be expressed in words.
No recommended products at the moment.
