2002 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Hochrain

Another expensive, selective harvest was the order of the year here, and Rudi Pichler did not begin in earnest until quite late.One result was unusually low levels of finished acidity (4.5 to 5 grams in the case of the gruner veltliners).Whether these prove precariously low remains to be seen.Certainly Pichler's best wines this year are soft and expressive, and those I tasted from tank in June were all set to be bottled within a couple of weeks rather than left on the lees until September, as is more usual at this address.In lieu of acid structure, Pichler explains, he tended this year to extend the maceration of juice on the skins.Pichler will have a new cellar in place by next year in which he intends to experiment with some maturation of selected gruner veltliners in cask.(Vin Divino) Also recommended: 2002 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel (from tank), 2002 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Terrassen, 2002 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Kollmutz (from tank), 2002 Riesling Smaragd Kirchweg, 2002 Weissburgunder Smaragd Kollmutz.