Rudi Pichler Kirchweg Riesling Smaragd, Wachau, Austria

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Apricot, yellow cherry and fresh lime dominate Pichler’s 2010 Riesling Smaragd Kirchweg, with pungent overtones of Latakia tobacco and piquancy of apricot kernel as well as a subtle range of mineral shadings serving for fascinating complexity. There is less overt impression of density and minerality than in the corresponding Steinriegl, with a surprising sense of buoyancy for a Smaragd and a finish of formidable length yet elegant understatement. Look for 8-10 years of delightful intrigue. “Early on, we were concerned about the high acidity,” admits Rudi Pichler “but when we did the first analyses, still in September, they already showed a one-to-one ratio of tartaric to malic acid. And the rain was not a bad thing really, as it insured that the vines deposited enormous extract in the grapes. In the end, a small adjustment to the Riesling Federspiel as wine was the only de-acidification I did.” Pichler is a stickler for getting his wines to finish dry, and residual sugar was the last thing he said he could imagine benefiting his 2010s. “For us, leaving behind sugar just doesn’t work. The sugar and acidity stand in opposition to one another, and I just don’t like that sort of wine, it’s not harmonious” he insists. Anywhere from 36 hours to three days of pre-fermentative skin contact – about which Pichler is seldom shy – probably enhanced the sense of extract and wealth of flavors on display in this collection; and given what was apparently the unusually high ratio of tartaric to malic acidity in Pichler’s fruit he could afford losing as precipitant some extra measure of the former, which typically happens with extended maceration. “But you have to know which parts of your vineyards can support this treatment,” he adds. Long stays on the lees – also part of the usual regimen – were surely beneficial. It would be very hard to argue with the success one tastes here from 2010, a vintage in which Pichler harvested all the way up to November 23, and one that in all modesty he clearly considers (as do I) a personal triumph.Importer: Winebow, Montvale, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620