2007 Riesling Smaragd Achleiten

Vintage 2016 certainly played into Rudi Pichler’s proclivity for late harvest, though even he admits that “while the weather would have permitted us to extend picking into December, there was no point” given fruit that he already thinks reflects “one of the finest Wachau vintages of recent years.” It’s certainly among the finest-ever at his address. The vintage also suits Pichler in that despite late harvest, alcohol levels are moderate, something one can’t say about every Rudi Pichler collection. In terms of vinous personality, Pichler thinks of 2016 as combining the richness of 2015 “with the elegance of 2014 at its best.” As to his penchant for treating his musts to significant pre-fermentative skin contact, 2016 was no exception in that regard – though just how much as usual varies considerably by wine – and once again, many of his grapes were foot-trodden. As my notes suggest, a striking feature of Pichler’s 2016 collection is the pronounced difference in personality from one bottling – i.e., terroir – to another. (For details concerning this estate’s vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)

“You had to be very cautious about leaf removal and canopy management,” related Rudi Pichler of the 2015 growing season, “to insure enough shading of the soil and avoid overexposure of the grapes, so that in the end the wines could as usual benefit from some pre-fermentative skin contact.” Adept management of cover crops also helped in the retention of precious moisture. Picking began in early October with the fruit for Federspiel all being gathered within a week and the rest of the crop largely by month’s end, in contrast with Pichler’s usual practice of long hang-time. In instances where late picking entails elevated alcohol, Pichler has long displayed an uncanny aptitude for integrating it, but among Riesling and Grüner Veltliner in the present collection only those from the Achleiten finished with alcohol significantly above 13 percent. (Pinot Blanc and Roter Traminer virtually never dip below 14 percent alcohol at this address.) Achieving a balance in 2015 of weight and intensity, richness and vivacity, concluded Pichler, “was challenging but fun.” (For details concerning this estate’s vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introduction to my report on its 2013s.)

Rudi Pichler reports that even after 2014, 1996 retains its place as his most difficult vintage. He managed a normal 2014 lineup, with the exception of bottling no Roter Veltliner, and bottling a “Terrassen” Grüner Veltliner Federspiel where normally he would bottle that cuvée as Smaragd. True to his usual form, Pichler insisted on waiting, heedless of eventual crop loss, until he felt that his fruit—from sites that encompass a wide range of elevations—was fully ripe. The result, he relates, is that in volume terms “we harvested 25% in October, 50% in November, and 25% not until December.” This year, late picking at full ripeness by no means precluded animating acidity, though it did entail significant crop loss. “I’m not thinking about the money; that doesn’t matter. These are wines about which we’ll be talking for a long time,” Pichler says confidently of the many magnums, double magnums and imperials of single-site Grüner Veltliner he has bottled. His last word on the arduous labors attending this vintage: “It was still fun, and that’s the real reward.” (For further Rudi Pichler commentary on 2014 and his relatively unvarying approach to vinification and élevage, consult my introduction to this entire report.)

Rudi Pichler assumed control of his family’s winery in 1997, and in 2004 moved to impressively designed new facilities nearby. A man of intense determination, methodical craftsmanship, and strong though well-tempered opinions, Pichler endorses harvesting late enough to, as he believes, capture the most complete possible set of flavors, and his wines typically ferment to nearly absolute dryness. If that combination makes for elevated alcohol levels, not only does he take this in stride but his wines seem uncannily able to do so as well, no doubt in part due to the buffering influences of lees exposure and sheer extract. Pre-fermentation skin contact is de rigueur and is often measured in days rather than hours, which is conducive to producing wines of tactile grip. In 2012, Pichler experimented very successfully with foot-treading rather than conventional crushing of the newly harvested grapes. Bottling usually takes place by May.

Pichler’s southwest-exposed corner in Achleiten, the source of his most striking wines, is microclimatically and in its utter absence of active lime quite distinct from those that inform other well-known bottlings from this great site. And it will soon, following Pichler’s purchase “as a 50th-birthday present to myself,” be extended into a remarkably rocky and largely long-ago-abandoned sector whose potential quality Pichler’s grandfather had already pointed out to him.

“These are classical Grüner Veltliners of a sort we haven’t had in a long time,” remarked Pichler of his 2013s, citing their moderate alcohol (meaning for him generally under 14%), vibrant acidity, and intriguing diversity of herbal, vegetable, fruit and mineral characteristics. “The extremes of the vintage [meaning heat and drought bracketed by high precipitation and chill] managed to balance themselves out,” he concluded. Harvest began here already in early October, but continued into the second week of November; and high-elevation grapes for Riesling Federspiel were, amazingly, the last to be picked, so gradual had been their phenolic maturation.

The last couple times I have seen Rudi Pichler, the first words on his lips were about the Achleiten site in Weissenkirchen. Two years ago, he was able to purchase a small parcel of Riesling with 70-year-old vines. Recently, he leased an even older neighboring block of Grüner Veltliner. Together, these two new arrows in his quiver have given this estate, which has long been one of my favorite smaller producers in the Wachau, a strike force beyond the Hochrain and Kollmütz vineyards that were long his best.

While the long, cold winter and berry shatter at flowering limited his yields in 2013, he is understandably pleased with the quality. Given the lively acidity levels of his grapes, he reduced the duration of his cold soaks, but all of the Smaragds were crushed by foot--a practice not often seen in Austria--in order to have better extraction with less bitterness. While Pichler says that the 2013 Rieslings were difficult at the outset, they were showing beautifully when I tasted them in February.

“I am still not sure if 2013 is a better vintage for Riesling or Grüner Veltliner,” he told me, “but both will age gracefully.” I rate these bone-dry wines highly but they need time.

This has long been one of my favorite smaller producers in the Wachau, seldom making even 100,000 bottles a year from his 12 hectares of vineyards. Since Pichler returned home after a stint in California, he has always shunned botrytis and has endeavored to make wines that are pure and expressive. They still are that, but they have also grown richer and more unctuous. Not only has Pichler made no Steinfeder since 2008, his Smaragds also have more flesh than they once did. In 2011, he did not much suffer the problems with phenolics that were common in that warm, dry vintage, but his 2012s, which he describes as something between the excellent 2005 and 2006 vintages, are also not as "light, juicy and refreshing" as he would like us to believe. But they are bone-dry. As you will see below, I rate them highly, but they no longer have the immediate gregarious drinkability that they once did. Will they age better? I am not yet sure. Interestingly, Pichler started doing foot treading in 2012 in order to get better extraction with less bitterness. (www.rudipichler.at) Also recommended: 2012 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel (87), 2011 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel (86), 2012 Riesling Federspiel (87), 2011 Riesling Federspiel (86).

This has long been one of my favorite smaller producers in the Wachau, seldom making even 100,000 bottles a year from his 12 hectares of vineyards. Since Pichler returned home after a stint in California, he has always shunned botrytis and has endeavored to make wines that are pure and expressive. They still are that, but they have also grown richer and more unctuous. Not only has Pichler made no Steinfeder since 2008, his Smaragds also have more flesh than they once did. In 2011, he did not much suffer the problems with phenolics that were common in that warm, dry vintage, but his 2012s, which he describes as something between the excellent 2005 and 2006 vintages, are also not as "light, juicy and refreshing" as he would like us to believe. But they are bone-dry. As you will see below, I rate them highly, but they no longer have the immediate gregarious drinkability that they once did. Will they age better? I am not yet sure. Interestingly, Pichler started doing foot treading in 2012 in order to get better extraction with less bitterness. (www.rudipichler.at) Also recommended: 2012 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel (87), 2011 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel (86), 2012 Riesling Federspiel (87), 2011 Riesling Federspiel (86).

The last couple times I have seen Rudi Pichler, the first words on his lips were about the Achleiten site in Weissenkirchen. Two years ago, he was able to purchase a small parcel of Riesling with 70-year-old vines. Recently, he leased an even older neighboring block of Grüner Veltliner. Together, these two new arrows in his quiver have given this estate, which has long been one of my favorite smaller producers in the Wachau, a strike force beyond the Hochrain and Kollmütz vineyards that were long his best.

While the long, cold winter and berry shatter at flowering limited his yields in 2013, he is understandably pleased with the quality. Given the lively acidity levels of his grapes, he reduced the duration of his cold soaks, but all of the Smaragds were crushed by foot--a practice not often seen in Austria--in order to have better extraction with less bitterness. While Pichler says that the 2013 Rieslings were difficult at the outset, they were showing beautifully when I tasted them in February.

“I am still not sure if 2013 is a better vintage for Riesling or Grüner Veltliner,” he told me, “but both will age gracefully.” I rate these bone-dry wines highly but they need time.

The leading vintner in Wosendorf obviously feels at home in his modern new cellar, which gives him the flexibility to deal with multiple batches of manually selected grapes over an intense three-week harvesting period. His painstaking selection is reflected in crystal-clear, complex and ageworthy wines, but they nearly always need time in bottle to reveal their many facets. In addition to the fascinating Riesling Achleiten, the exquisite and rare Roter Veltliner deserves special recognition.

The modern architecture of Rudi Pichler's new winery, finished just this year, is sensitively integrated into the landscape of the Wachau. His old cellar, with only 100 square meters of space, was packed so full that the vintner was forced to keep a close eye on his waistline so he could squeeze himself between the barrels. Now, with more room in the winery, he can devote greater attention to the care ofhis vineyards.Pichler told me he stopped vinifying years ago:now, after practicing good viticulture and selective harvesting, he lets the wines make themselves with as little interference as possible. Rudi Pichler's flagship wine, the roter veltliner (not related to gruner veltliner), was still in barrel in September and thus is missing from these tasting notes. The grapes were inspected berry by berry at their harvest in December and yielded a miniscule 90 liters of exquisite roter veltliner Smaragd.Few will ever taste this rare specialty, but the following wines make wonderful compensation. As is the case with the wines of Emmerich Knoll, patience is required for bottles from individualist Pichler.

RudiPichler picked almost entirely in November and early December. Yet he thought that nearly all of his wines were ready to bottle in April rather than in need of the extended lees contact and further maturation that characterized other recent collections here. Nor did Pichler shy away this year from his usual degree of pre-fermentative skin contact. With respect to both sugars and phenols, he might have flirted with the limit in some instances, but most of this year's striking collection is well worth investigating. (Vin Divino) Also recommended: 2003 Gruner 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.

This year was even tougher than last when it came tox000D picking around any rot (and organizing the manpower to do it), particularlyx000D with gruner veltliner. Pichler's highlyx000D selective harvest, along with judicious use of pre-fermentative skin contact,x000D made for a collection with plenty of stuffing and clarity. (Vin Divino) Also recommended: 2001 Gruner Veltliner Steinfeder, 2001 Riesling Federspiel.

Parts of Wosendorf suffered hail damage this year, so selection had to be doubly stringent. At the same time, conditions required selection to be made in the course of a single picking of each vineyard. Pichler was also at pains to harvest sufficiently clean fruit to stand up to 18 hours of cold soak prior to being pressed (he employs dry ice to create a CO2 blanket and avoid sulfuring) and whose lees he could retain well into fermentation. (Note that his top rieslings were still on their fine lees when I tasted them in June.) With these strategies, Pichler hoped to supply some structural compensation for generally low acidity. quot;I knew this was our most expensive harvest ever," he says, "but I went ahead and ran the math. Per picker, per parcel, per hour we got on average only 20 kilograms (44 pounds) of fruit. In some sites it was a lot less than that." And this was prior to sorting in the cellar.

Wosendorf vineyards were hailed on in '99, but since Pichler normally performs a green harvest quite late, nature to some extent simply did his work for him this year. Still, great selectivity was required at harvest, particularly in the Hochrain, to avoid any hail-affected bunches. "It meant a tedious harvest," says Pichler, "requiring lots of tea and coffee." His aim in vinification continues to include long time on the lees and late sulfuring, which seem to be paying dividends in flavor and texture. Still, he adds, "I'm aware that in this way I sacrifice some primary fruit. Ultimately, my goal is to open a window onto the vineyard and bring it into the glass."

With the more difficult '98 vintage, Rudi Pichler has demonstrated that the excellent '97s here were no fluke. In fact he seems quite convinced that his palpably extract-rich, botrytis-tinged '98s are superior. "We did two green harvests and then four or five genuine passes in most of the vineyards," he explains. "I have pickers who are genuinely motivated by being allowed to make decisions. Luckily too, I sprayed against botrytis at the end of August." "Were you looking at the long?range weather report?" I asked. "No, I just got scared. The weather seemed too beautiful to hold! Of course, if the autumn had turned out like in 1997, that spraying would have been unnecessary, maybe even detrimental. I think riesling with zero botrytis can't quite reach absolutely top class."

With his '97 collection, the talented young Pichler (a distant cousin of "F.X.") enters the pantheon of top Austrian producers. What more, for the first time he allowing some of his production to reach our shores. The good side of 1997's slow fermentations, says Pichler, was the possibility afforded for long lees contact. He emphasized the need to select rigorously, reduce skin contact and press carefully to avoid off flavors from the stems, which had frozen.