2012 Riesling Smaragd Unendlich

The first time I came to the Wachau, Franz Xaver Pichler was still working in the family's heurigen, the restaurant by the river that paid the bills. That was closed years ago. Now he spends most of his time in the vineyards, allowing his son Lukas to take the helm of their estate in Loiben at the eastern end of the Wachau, where the climate is warmer. Partly for that reason, the Pichlers have made no Steinfeder, the lightest natural wine of the region, since 1996. Today, almost three-quarters of any given vintage is Smaragd. Not surprisingly, Lukas prefers cooler vintages. "Two thousand twelve was perhaps a touch too warm," he said, "but at least there was no botrytis." Riesling, he thinks, did better as a result. As the Pichlers harvest late, sometimes going through their terraces as many as five times, their wines can be monumental, a moniker that they shortened to M when the first grüner veltliner of this ilk was introduced in 1991. A similar riesling called Unendlich, or unending in English, appeared in 1998. For some purists, these wines are over the top, but as Lukas relates, "they are both to be viewed as the ultimate expression of the variety, not the site." Indeed, those who prefer elegance and balance with refreshing verve are better served with the cooler Steinertal. Fifteen years ago, however, even a Kellerberg often had only 12.5% alcohol. Today the "lightweights" carry at least one degree more. (www.fx-pichler.at) Also recommended: 2012 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Loibner Frauenweingarten (87).