Happy Hour Wine Tasting Featuring Austrian and German Whites Thursday, August 29th 6pm and all the Austrian and German wines in the store on SALE!!
Wine and cheese are ageless companions, like aspirin and aches, or June and moon, or good people and noble ventures.
M.F.K. FISHER, introduction, Vin et Fromage
Four thousand years of winemaking history counted for little after the "antifreeze scandal" of 1985, when it was revealed that some wine brokers had been adulterating their wines with diethylene glycol. The scandal destroyed the market for Austrian bulk wine and compelled Austria to reposition itself as a producer of quality wines. This scandal also affected the German wines that were consumed within Germany as most of the locals now wanted "Trocken" or dry wines to ensure that they were not being served tainted wines.
We do not send out enough offerings out on white wines in general but the great whites of Austria and Germany deserve serious attention. We have a small selection of Austrian and German wines in the store and one producer who we buy every vintage without tasting is F.X. Pichler.
The wines speak volumes about the potential of quality in Austria as they are some of the best whites you will find of their type and style. These wines focus on time and place where hard work in the vineyards trumps anything that can happen in the winery.
To finish off our summer series of Happy Hour wine tastings I thought it would be fun to showcase some of the best wines from these two great white producing neighbors to quench your thirst during the hottest month of the year August.
The fee for this tasting is $75 + tax, to make a reservation call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com or simply respond to this e-mail.
Happy Hour Wine Tasting Featuring Austrian and German Whites
Thursday, August 29, 2024
6:00 PM
2021 F.X. Pichler Loibner Steinertal Riesling Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
2021 Fx Pichler Gruner Veltliner Ried Kellerberg Smaragd Wachau, Austria
2021 F.X. Pichler Durnsteiner Gruner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
2021 F.X. Pichler Ried Loibenberg Riesling Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
2017 FX Pichler Riesling Ried Burgstall Federspiel Austria
2021 Weingut Franz Hirtzberger Ried Steinporz Riesling Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
2023 Landhaus Mayer Gruner Veltliner Austria
2022 Pichler-Krutzler Gruner Veltliner Ried Klostersatz Wachau Austria
2021 A. Christmann Riesling Pfalz Germany
2021 Von Winning Deidesheimer Kalkofken Riesling Grosses Gewachs Pfalz, Germany
2016 Dautel Riesling Besigheimer Wurmberg Wurttemberg Germany
2018 Weingut Kurt Darting Durkheimer Fronhof Riesling Kabinett Trocken 1 Liter Germany
2019 Dr. Burklin Wolf Gaisbohl Riesling Monopole GG Germany
2018 Dr. Fischer spatburgunder "steinbock" Saar Germany
Menu
Cheese and Charcuterie Selections
Salmon Dragon Sushi Roll
Spicy Tuna Roll
Forest Ham and Grilled Pineapple Pizza
Sweet and Sour Turkey Meatballs
Black Forest Cake Bites
The fee for this tasting is $75 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.
The 2022 Vintage has just arrived!!
2022 F.X. Pichler Durnsteiner Gruner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
Price: $54.00 Your Price: $47.52
(91 points) Sourced from the terraces, the 2022 Dürnsteiner Grüner Veltliner is very clear, fresh and precise on the intensely fruity nose that intermingles ripe seed fruit aromas with lime and stony/iodine notes. Round and intense yet also refreshingly saline and savory on the palate, this is a medium to full-bodied and intense yet vivacious Veltliner with fine bitters on the intense, well-balanced finish. (SR) (5/2023) Wine Advocate
2022 FX Pichler Gruner Veltliner Ried Kellerberg Smaragd WACHAU, AUSTRIA
Price: $132.00 Your Price: $116.16
(96 Points) The 2022 Grüner Veltliner Kellerberg comes from the warmer, lower reaches of the Kellerberg, as the higher zones are reserved for Riesling. Slight yeast and ripe pear on the nose signal smoothness. On the palate, the pear dissipates to leave a sleek flow of white miso paste edged with white and green pepper. After that, citrus takes over to elongate these flavors on a very classy, smooth and concentrated body, once again tapering very elegantly to the finish. (Bone-dry) 11/23 Vinous Media
2022 FX Pichler Gruner Veltliner Ried Loibenberg Smaragd
Price: $87.00 Your Price: $76.56
(93 Points) An impressively harmonious Gruner, with zesty fresh lemon, persimmon and aloe flavors expertly woven with smoke, spice and chopped chive notes. Reveals depth and complexity, with white mocha and buttercream hints adding to the richness, while succulent acidity draws out the salty, well-defined finish. This is absolutely delicious and intensely drinkable now -- with lots of aging potential, too. Drink now through 2035. 30 cases imported. Wine Spectator
2022 F.X. Pichler Loibner Ried Burgstall Riesling Wachau, Austria
Price: $54.00 Your Price: $47.52
(93 points) The 2022 Loibner Ried Burgstall Riesling is very pure, bright, fresh and stony on the fine and rather coolish nose that represents the well-ventilated, table-like site on sandy gneiss soils. Light, lush and playfukl on the palate, with a certain roundness and off-dryish Riesling character, this is a delicate, rather light terroir wine that did remarkably well in 2022. (SR) (5/2024) Wine Advocate
2022 FX Pichler Riesling Ried Kellerberg Smaragd WACHAU, AUSTRIA
Price: $135.00 Your Price: $118.80
(99 points) This dry riesling has gigantic concentration, but also gigantic elegance and finesse. Still a little shy on the nose, but this has been made to age for decades. Delicate notes of white peach, pink grapefruit and mountain herbs in the nose, then on the palate also hints of licorice and white chocolate. However, the most extraordinary thing about the wine is the mind-blowing stony intensity at the extremely focused and salty finish. Doesn’t want to stop. Enormous aging potential. From organically grown grapes. Vegan. Drink or hold. Stuart Pigott, James Suckling (Oct 2023)
2022 F.X. Pichler Ried Loibenberg Riesling Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
Price: $95.00 Your Price: $83.60
(96 points) The 2022 Riesling Loibenberg has an intriguing mix of yellow pear overlaid by fragrant, fresh and bright green and orange citrus as well as yellow peach flesh. The palate is smooth, with supple yeast and ripe juiciness on its medium body, yet the citrus flavors perfume and guide this forward. The finish, however, belongs to zesty, tingling bright and ripe citrus. This is a concentrated and linear wine. (Bone-dry)(AK) (2/2024) Vinous
2021 FX PICHLER GRUNER VELTLINER RIED KELLERBERG SMARAGD WACHAU, AUSTRIA
Price: $109.00 Your Price: $95.92 Quantity in Stock: 21
(95 points) "The 2021 Dürnsteiner Grüner Veltliner Ried Kellerberg offers a deep, clear, complex yet refined and refreshing, remarkably coolish and herbal "forest" bouquet with notes of wet stones and crushed green leaves. The fruit aromas are dark forest berries (cassis) rather than yellow stone fruits at this early stage. On the palate, this is a full-bodied yet incredibly pure and fresh, crystalline, saline and highly elegant Kellerberg with substance, well-dosed power and lingering salinity and phenolic tension. Far from being big and voluminous, this is a rather lean, elegant and finessed but tightly woven and very long Kellerberg that will unfold even more layers with longer bottle age. 13% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine in September 2022. (SR)" (12/2022) Wine Advocate
2021 F.X. Pichler Durnsteiner Gruner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
Price: $45.00 Your Price: $39.60 Quantity in Stock: 41
The Grüner Veltliner displays a very typical, Grüner bouquet of spicy herbs and white pepper.
Wines bearing the name of DÜRNSTEIN refer to the designation of origin of some fabulous village wines. Under this name we bottle wines from grapes hand-picked from a selection of terraced mountain vineyards. The grapes derive predominantly from younger plots, or from sites not harvested for a “Ried” single-vineyard growth wine, and from vineyards in the plains around the municipality of Dürnstein. This vineyard blend is enticing and invigorating, with sappy and subtle mineral characters.
2021 F.X. Pichler Loibner Steinertal Gruner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
Price: $99.00 Your Price: $87.12 Quantity in Stock: 9
(94 Points) "From the coolest vineyard of the crus here and based on destemmed and macerated fruits, Pichler's 2021 Loibner Grüner Veltliner Ried Steinertal was vinified in stainless steel, aged in large oak until July and bottled in August and offers a clear, refined and elegant, indeed coolish bouquet of bright fruits. Full-bodied and intense on the palate, this is a gentle, very fine and elegant Steinertal with a dense core and an almost velvety texture. The acidity is fine and perfectly interwoven and the tannins are remarkably delicate. The finish is long and intense and shows stimulating bitters, but against all trends, there is not phenolic grip, which is what we often find in the Danube Veltliners of the 2021 vintage, but fine and healthy grip." — Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate (December 2022)
2021 F.X. Pichler Loibner Steinertal Riesling Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
Price: $99.00 Your Price: $87.12 Quantity in Stock: 18
(94 points) "Bottled in August, the 2021 Loibner Riesling Ried Steinertal offers a fascinating but also intense and elegant bouquet of lemon fruit and baby pineapple aromas intertwined with notes of crushed flint stones and even iodine. Round and lush but bone dry and straight on the palate, this is pure but mouth-filling, very elegant, aromatic and super attractive Riesling whose fruit is reminiscent of a perfectly ripe and lush pineapple. The finish is linear, fine and pure, very long, tight and bitter yet highly stimulating. This is a spectacularly good 2021 bottled with a moderate 12.5% alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine in September 2022. (SR)" (12/2022) Wine Advocate
2021 F.X. Pichler Ried Loibenberg Riesling Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
Price: $75.00 Your Price: $66.00 Quantity in Stock: 28
(96 Points) FX Pichler's 2021 Loibner Riesling Ried Loibenberg is deep, highly complex and coolish on the nose, offering just-ripe mango and apricot aromas with ripe pumpkin seeds as well as notes of crystalline rocks. On the palate, this is a dense, crystalline and precise, tight and intense, even powerful yet not mighty or alcoholic Riesling with insanely concentrated but just-ripe and tight fruit with healthy phenolic grip and great tension. This is another stellar wine of the vintage in the Wachau and, mind you, from one of the warmest crus around. It's a great wine that Riesling lovers shouldn't miss. 13% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine in September 2022.—Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate
2020 F.X. Pichler Loibner Ried Steinertal Riesling Wachau, Austria
Price: $65.00 Your Price: $57.20 Quantity in Stock: 13
(93-94 points) The 2020 Ried Steinertal Riesling opens coolish and fresh, with lime aromas on the precise and finely flinty nose that also reveals some fresh pineapple stem and white/green vineyard peach aromas with a touch of paprika. Crystalline, elegant and juicy-piquant, with concentrated fruit, the 2020 Steinertal Riesling is carried by demanding acidity to long, dense, aromatic finish with stimulating tannin grip. The wine is compact and close-meshed but also juicy. Tasted as a sample in June 2021. To be bottled in July. 2020 is the first vintage Lucas Pichler doesn't use the predicates of the Vinea anymore since he left the group earlier this year. (SR)" (12/2021) Wine Advocate
2020 F.X. Pichler Loibner Ried Burgstall Riesling Wachau, Austria
Price: $40.00 Your Price: $35.20 Quantity in Stock: 14
(92 points) "Reveals apple, peach and white tea notes that show nice lushness, expertly offset by chalky texture and crunchy, steely acidity. Beautiful in form and very poised, with mineral power driving length. Reveals a whiff of acacia and fennel on the bitter-tinged finish. Drink now through 2030." (8/2023) Wine Spectator
2020 F.X. Pichler 'Unendlich' Riesling Wachau, Austria
Price: $285.00 Your Price: $250.80 Quantity in Stock: 1
(95-96 points) "Pichler’s most iconic wine! The 2020 Riesling Unendlich comes entirely from the Kellerberg this year and is based on the more raisined grapes that were picked in the same go with the regular Kellerberg Riesling due to the fear of spreading rot. The bouquet shows intense and dense fruit of ripe and juicy white peach aromas as well as noble raisin aromas. Juicy-piquant, with crystalline and salty acidity, this is a powerful and very concentrated yet rather classic Unendlich with a firm, close-meshed structure. This 2020 is still very, very young, and I am curious to taste this Unendlich again after the bottling and closer to its release in spring next year. Tasted as a sample in June 2021, to be bottled in July and to be released in May 2022. 2020 is the first vintage Lucas Pichler doesn't use the predicates of the Vinea anymore since he left the group earlier this year. (SR)" (12/2021) Wine Advocate
2020 F.X. Pichler Loibner Loibenberg Riesling Wachau, Austria
Price: $65.00 Your Price: $57.20 Quantity in Stock: 2
(93-95 points) "The 2020 Ried Loibenberg Riesling opens very spicy, fresh and almost hard, with intense aromas of white peaches and apricots. Dense, intense and powerful on the palate, this is a massive, close-meshed and tannin-rich Riesling with concentrated juice yet a still-bitter, dry grippy finish. This 2020 needs some years to extract its talents, which are there, but at this early stage it is pretty difficult to give an exact forecast. Tasted as a sample in June 2021, to be bottled in July. 2020 is the first vintage Lucas Pichler doesn't use the predicates of the Vinea anymore since he left the group earlier this year. (SR)" (12/2021) Wine Advocate
2020 FX Pichler Gruner Veltliner Ried Liebenberg Wachau Austria
Price: $84.00 Your Price: $73.92 Quantity in Stock: 33
(94 Points) From calcareous soils with amphibolite the 2019 Ried Liebenberg Grüner Veltliner Smaragd is very clear and fine on the complex and refreshing nose with ripe pineapple and lemon aromas. Dense and juicy on the palate this is a dense juicy and beautifully piquant but very ripe and lush Veltliner with a highly aromatic finish yet also this remarkably fresh acidity. Stimulatingly salty on the aftertaste. 13.5% alcohol. Tasted at the domain in June 2021. Wine Advocate
2019 FX Pichler Ried Steinertal Riesling Smaragd Wachau, Austria
Price: $75.00 Your Price: $66.00 Quantity in Stock: 11
(94 points) The 2019 Ried Steinertal Riesling Smaragd is from the terraced part of the cru and combines coolish but ripe and concentrated white peach stone fruit aromas with flinty-crystalline terroir aromas. Full-bodied and intense but also refreshing, with piquant and salty acidity and persistent crisp stone fruit aromas, this is a densely textured., very intense but always stimulating Steinertal Riesling that reflects the coolish terroir of this vineyard between Pfaffenberg and Loibenberg. 13% alcohol. Tasted at the domain in June 2021. (SR) (12/2021) Wine Advocate
2019 FX Pichler Riesling Ried Kellerberg Smaragd WACHAU, AUSTRIA
Price: $105.00 Your Price: $92.40 Quantity in Stock: 3
(97 points) The 2019 Ried Kellerberg Riesling Smaragd shows a beautifully ripe and aromatic Muscat aroma in the beginning but also the deep and flinty complexity of the cooler, southeast-facing part of Pichler’s terraced Kellerberg that is close to the forest. Round, lush and intense, again with super aromatic fruit aromas (peaches, passion fruit), amazing finesse and salty crystallinity, this is one of the most fascinating Kellerberg Rieslings I have had. Absolutely adorable in its freshness, elegance and perfect fruit ripeness. A Must Buy for Wachau fans. 13.5% alcohol. Tasted at the domain in June 2021. (SR) (12/2021) Wine Advocate
2019 FX PICHLER RIESLING RIED BURGSTALL FEDERSPIEL AUSTRIA
Price: $40.00 Your Price: $35.20 Quantity in Stock: 5
Pale yellow. Aromas of yellow and green apples, apricots, and almond. On the palate, fresh, delicious, and exceptionally balanced. A precise dry Riesling with exquisite concentration and tension.
2019 FX Pichler Gruner Veltliner Ried Liebenberg Smaragd Wachau, Austria
Price: $72.00 Your Price: $63.36 Quantity in Stock: 11
(94 Points) From calcareous soils with amphibolite the 2019 Ried Liebenberg Grüner Veltliner Smaragd is very clear and fine on the complex and refreshing nose with ripe pineapple and lemon aromas. Dense and juicy on the palate this is a dense juicy and beautifully piquant but very ripe and lush Veltliner with a highly aromatic finish yet also this remarkably fresh acidity. Stimulatingly salty on the aftertaste. 13.5% alcohol. Tasted at the domain in June 2021. Wine Advocate
2019 FX PICHLER GRUNER VELTLINER RIED LOIBENBERG SMARAGD WACHAU, AUSTRIA
Price: $72.00 Your Price: $63.36 Quantity in Stock: 11
(95 Points) From the oldest vineyards of the domain the 2019 Ried Loibenberg Grüner Veltliner Smaragd opens with a finely flinty bouquet of ripe mirabelles and crushed stones. Mouthfilling and rich but also fresh and mineral with remarkable finesse and precision this is a very elegant and refined Loibenberg from the middle of the slope and partly from the bottom of the slope. A great Veltliner form the warmest cru Lucas Pichler cultivates. 14% alcohol. Tasted at the domain in June 2021. Wine Advocate
2018 FX Pichler Riesling Durnsteiner Smaragd
Price: $48.00 Your Price: $42.24 Quantity in Stock: 4
(88 Points) From the Oberhauser lieu-dit in the Klostersatz, Trum, Steinertal, Loibenberg and Kellerberg, Pichler's 2018 Dürnsteiner Riesling Smaragd is clear, fresh and piquant on the apricot-compote nose. Lush and piquant on the palate, this is a more textured, lush and juicy Riesling that's gorgeous, tight and grippy, with some Muscat flavors on the finish. Tasted at the domain in September 2019. Wine Advocate
2018 Pichler Gruner Veltliner Durnsteiner Smaragd
Price: $42.00 Your Price: $36.96 Quantity in Stock: 1
(90 Points) "From the first harvest pass in all the terraces (from younger vines) and from riper fruits in the flat area, the 2018 Dürnsteiner Grüner Veltliner Smaragd is clear, bright and white-fruited on the spicy-elegant nose. On the palate, this is a full-bodied but also fresh and piquant Veltliner Smaragd with good grip and nice bitters. Tasted at the domain in September 2019." — Stephen Reinhardt, Wine Advocate (March 2020)
2018 FX Pichler Riesling Ried Loibenberg Smaragd
Price: $67.50 Your Price: $59.40 Quantity in Stock: 10
(92 Points) "The 2018 Ried Loibenberg Riesling Smaragd is clear, ripe and elegant on the nose, with ripe and lush apricot, mango and very fine flinty aromas. On the palate, this is a ripe, round and charming Riesling with a full body, rich extract and mouth-filling palate. More compote than fresh and coolish fruit aromas here. Tasted at the domain in September 2019." — Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate (March 2020)
2018 FX Pichler Gruner Veltliner Ried Loibenberg Smaragd
Price: $66.00 Your Price: $58.08 Quantity in Stock: 8
(93 points) Difficult to pick in time, the 2018 Ried Loibenberg Grüner Veltliner Smaragd offers a clear, fresh and flinty, elegant and balanced nose with riper fruit and delicately spicy aromas. Round, lush and intense on the palate, this full-bodied but elegant wine reveals a long and powerful finish that doesn't lose its freshness and elegance. The wine has good structure and phenolic grip but no phenolic or drying bitters. It combines elegance and freshness with power and extraordinarily ripe but still precise fruit. Pichler holds nine parcels in this large vineyard, of which the most are in the central part and in lower areas. Tasted at the domain in September 2019. (3/2020)
2017 FX Pichler Riesling Ried Burgstall Federspiel Austria
Price: $45.00 Your Price: $39.60 Quantity in Stock: 14
(93 Points) The 2017 Ried Burgstall Riesling Federspiel is from a windy plateau with sandy gneiss soils. Crunchy and mineral on the nose! The highly aromatic nose is super clear and fresh, and the palate is crisp and crunchy with highly stimulating fruit, mineral freshness and grip. Gorgeous! Stephan Reinhardt - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
2017 F.X. Pichler Durnsteiner Riesling Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
Price: $45.00 Your Price: $39.60 Quantity in Stock: 2
(92 Points) The 2017 Dürnsteiner Riesling Smaragd (formerly Oberhauser) is from the first picking in the terraces as well as from the Trum and Oberhauser (today Klostersatz). Fermented in stainless steel and bottled in April, the wine shows a fine and discreet, herbal/floral-scented apricot nose that leads to a racy-piquant, light and crispy palate with enormous purity and freshness. Grown on gravelly soils in the plains, this is a stunning, vital and crunchy Smaragd with a long, intense and purely mineral finish that is full of tension. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
2017 FX Pichler Gruner Veltliner Ried Kellerberg Smaragd WACHAU, AUSTRIA
Price: $97.50 Your Price: $85.80 Quantity in Stock: 4
(94 Points) The 2017 Ried Kellerberg Grüner Veltliner offers a concentrated and aromatic, coolish, flinty and herbal bouquet. Round and lush on the palate, this is a generous and initially creamy-textured Veltliner, yet with more aeration, it becomes vital, refined and tensioned, with mineral grip and shining fruit. Crystalline and tight, the 2017 Kellerberg is still closed, but it's full of energy, tension and aging potential. The wine currently has more flesh and fine tannins and doesn't breathe as much as the 2018, but this is only the very first impression. However, there is grip, salt and tension, and in the end, it won't be far behind the 2018, if you like to have a ranking. I discovered that the wine starts to breathe and shine with one hour of aeration. Tasted at the domain in September 2019. Issue Date, 31st Mar 2020. Source- End of March 2020, The Wine Advocate
A bit about F.X. Pichler
The F.X. Pichler family wine estate is now in its seventh generation. Lucas Franz Pichler (*1973) and his wife Johanna Elisabeth (*1982) currently manage the winery, with Lucas Franz in the role of managing director, wine grower and oenologist, and Johanna Elisabeth being in charge of sales, marketing and export.
Franz Xaver (*1941) and Rudolfine (*1951) Pichler are still actively involved in the family business and can be found working in the vineyards, which they cultivate with dedication and experience.
The family can look back on a long tradition of winemaking. During the middle of the 19th century, the winegrower Franz Pichler II moved his family from the wine-growing village of Rohrendorf near Krems to the Wachau Valley. His grandson Franz Pichler VI later acquired a property in Oberloiben, in commune of Dürnstein, in the year 1898. It was in this very wine cellar in Oberloiben No. 27, that global wine success was written right up until the 2008 vintage.
In the year 1906, Franz Xaver’s (F.X.) father was born into the winemaking family. As a vintner, he studied the quality of vineyards and diligently recorded his observations of the growth and quality of individual grapevines into his notebook. Thus, his selection massale (Massal Selection – the French term for the practice of replanting new vineyards with cuttings), enabled him to identify the most outstanding Grüner Veltliner vines from each vineyard and then propagated new vines from that budwood. He began in 1928 and continued until 1952.
Towards the end of the 1930s, he was also a founding member of the winegrowers’ cooperative (Winzergenossenschaft) in Loiben, which was established to ensure the economic survival of the numerous small winegrowers in the town.
His son Franz Xaver (F.X.) followed into his father’s footsteps as a quality-conscious winemaker from an early age. He graduated from the Krems viticulture college and attended internships and practicals in Germany and Alsace. As the head of the family winery, he began purchasing prime and prized vineyard sites early on, as he was always convinced of the huge potential of his homeland.
Now in the seventh generation, Lucas Franz carries on with the family tradition as a winemaker and attended the Krems viticulture school between 1988 and 1992. He is grateful to his father, Franz Xaver, for passing down his colossal knowledge and decades of experience and dedication to exceptional wine quality.
Lucas Franz completed an internship at the Müller-Cartoir winery in the Pfalz wine region in autumn/winter 1994. Hans-Günter Schwarz, wine director at the time, became his mentor. This shaped him and brought out his passion for wine. Two years later, Lucas completed a second internship there.
In 1997, Lucas Franz gathered further professional experience from Manfred Tement (Tement family winery) in the Südsteiermark.
Lucas Franz now looks back on over two decades of winemaking at the family winery since the 1999 vintage. At that time, the F.X. Picher estate comprised of around 14 hectares (35 acres) under vine, and now Lucas Franz is responsible for 20 hectares (49 acres) of exceptionally great single-vineyard sites. These are situated within the immediate vicinity of the winery in Loiben and Dürnstein, with a 50/50 share between Grüner Veltliner and Riesling respectively. Small parcels of Gelber Muskateller (yellow muscat) are found on the Loibner Ried Loibenberg and there are also limited bottles of Sauvignon Blanc. Around 35 percent of the vines grow on steeply inclined, bedrock terraces with dry-stone walls, that can only be worked by hand labour. The latter is a Wachau cultural heritage, and its practice goes back many centuries.
Johanna Elisabeth Pichler was born into a family-winery in Rheinhessen, Germany and she learnt the winemaking profession from an early age. Johanna attended the viticulture school in Oppenheim in Rheinhessen between 1999–2002 and then completed her training as a viticulture economist at the Technical College in Bad Kreuznach an der Nahe. She met and fell in love with Lucas Franz Pichler in 2003. Shortly afterwards, Johanna uprooted herself from Rheinhessen to live in the Wachau, where she has been taking care of sales, marketing and export ever since. Johanna Elisabeth & Lucas Franz not only share their profession, they also share a great passion for wine.
The rest of the wines from Austria and German in the store on SALE!
2023 Landhaus Mayer Gruner Veltliner Austria
Price: $19.50 Your Price: $17.16
Melon rind and white pepper notes with a nice touch of wet rock minerality, flinty even more complex on the second day. Zesty on the tongue that green melon and white pepper showing through the finish, leaves the tongue salivating for food. Finish 40+
2022 Pichler-Krutzler Gruner Veltliner Ried Klostersatz Wachau Austria
Price: $42.00 Your Price: $36.96
(91 Points) The 2022 Grüner Veltliner Klostersatz is from four parcels planted in the 1970s on heavier alluvial soils, and was partially fermented in wood. The nose is shy and the palate taut and bright—smooth with yeast but prickling with white pepper. The slender body is concentrated and walks a lovely line between ripeness and tautness, but with ample spice. This is a kind of textbook Grüner Veltliner, flowing quite gently. (Bone-dry) Vinous
2018 Alzinger Grüner Veltliner Ried Loibenberg Smaragd
Price: $57.00 Your Price: $50.16 Quantity in Stock: 11
(93 Points) From the central, loess-dominated part of the famous cru, Alzinger's 2018 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Ried Loibenberg opens with a very delicate and elegant bouquet of ripe fruits intermixed with a very fine and crystalline flint stone note. Ripe, intense and juicy on the palate, this is a more charming, lush and accessible Veltliner compared to the Liebenberg, but the finish has the same vitality, mineral freshness and tension. The Loibenberg GV is just warmer and more charming in its remarkably elegant character. Tasted at the domain in September 2019. Issue Date, 31st Mar 2020. Source-End of March 2020, The Wine Advocate
2020 Alzinger Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Dürnstein
Price: $31.50 Your Price: $27.72 Quantity in Stock: 3
Wine-making: Spontaneously fermented in stainless steel. Elevage in steel with a small amount of neutral Austrian oak. Inviting and lively, often stone fruit and fine vegetable aromas; delicate, filigree and subtle texture. Never pushy, always direct, straightforward & digestible. Animating and juicy finish. The Danube makes its mark on the plain in Loiben and Dürnstein. Gravel, sand and sediments form the basis for the village Grüner Veltliner , which is juicy and elegantly exemplary for a classic spring game version.
2009 Familie Saahs Nikolaihof Steiner Hund Reserve Riesling, Wachau
Price: $85.00 Your Price: $74.80 Quantity in Stock: 1
(96 Points) “Nikolaihof’s recently released 2009 Riesling Steiner Hund Reserve delivers a scintillating, virtually mesmerizing array of high-toned floral and herbal scents of distillate-like high-toned penetration. I’m not even going to start trying to name them! Added to that are wet stone intimations of the mossy, alkaline, iodine-like and otherwise mineral elements that inform this wine’s finely, seamlessly, and complexly woven carpet of flavor. While there are gloss and silken texture present, there are also cut, energy and refreshing brightness that belie the nature of the 2009 vintage. Seeds and grains seemingly as varied as the herbs and flowers with which this wine announced itself, lend deeply mouthwatering savor as well as enhanced invigoration to almost unending primary juiciness of apple, lime and white peach. A bell-like sense of clarity permits every nuance of this amazing Riesling’s kaleidoscopically interactive oscillations to reverberate. (Pick your metaphor: on another occasion, I imagined the clarity of a pristine pool through which the interactive elements shimmered.) Plan to follow this for at least another decade. Wine Advocate.
2019 Weingut Franz Hirtzberger Steinterrassen Riesling Federspiel
Price: $39.00 Your Price: $34.32 Quantity in Stock: 23
(95 Points) A masterpiece in this medium-bodied category, thanks to its incredibly expressive, peachy bouquet and its super bright, sleek and racy style. And in spite of all the energy, the long finish is filigree. Drink or hold. James Suckling
2019 Weingut Franz Hirtzberger Rotes Tor Gruner Veltliner Federspiel
Price: $39.00 Your Price: $34.32 Quantity in Stock: 22
(92 points) "So fresh and expressive with positively green-fruit character. Medium-bodied but still sleek with nice citrusy flavors, the finish very harmonious and satisfying." James Suckling
2021 Weingut Franz Hirtzberger Grüner Veltliner Axpoint Smaragd Wachau
Price: $65.00 Your Price: $57.20 Quantity in Stock: 12
The famous name "Axpoint" is explained by the fact that this land used to be owned by the Abtai of Niederalteich. This is a young vineyard, which first produced fruit in 1999. The soil is recondite and comprised predominantly of clay, which is reflected in the character of the Grüner Veltliner Smaragd produced here.
2021 Weingut Franz Hirtzberger Ried Steinporz Riesling Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
Price: $75.00 Your Price: $66.00 Quantity in Stock: 12
(97 Points) “Pale greenish yellow, silver glints. Fragrant scents of yellow peach, delicate savoury nuances, and minerality. Light and alluring bouquet. Succulent, elegant, finely fruit forward, lovely integrated acidity, mineral, and persistent with a saline finish and peach reverberations. Possesses length and plenty of future potential.” Peter Moser.
2021 Weingut Franz Hirtzberger Wosendorfer Kirchweg Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Wachau
Price: $55.00 Your Price: $48.40 Quantity in Stock: 11
(93 Points) Smaragd opens with clear, bright, elegant and finely spiced, dense and very ripe, concentrated fruit. Dense, elegant and with fine tannic structure on the palate, this is a juicy, enormously rich and substantial Veltliner, with a firm structure but little animation at present, though with an almost stunning finish. Wine Advocate
2020 Melsheimer Spatburgunder Sekt "Insanus" Extra Brut Mosel Germany
Price: $42.00 Sale Price: $36.96 Quantity in Stock: 7
{biodynamic} 50% Riesling, 50% Pinot Noir (w/o skins) This is one of those hip kid natural wines that is really good. Forgive the sediment but you need your fiber!!
2021 A. Christmann Riesling Paradiesgarten Pfalz
Price: $27.00 Your Price: $21.60
(89 Points) This shows a charming reductive note upfront, reminiscent of white raspberry, but is quickly blown off to reveal orange zest and white cherry. It is pretty expressive with good length. — Aleks Zecevic Wine Enthusiast
2020 Dr. Burklin Wolf Riesling Reiterpfad GG
Price: $100.50 Your Price: $88.44 Quantity in Stock: 2
(97 points) "Still tight and rather closed on the nose, but on the palate there's a real explosion of citrus fruit (bergamot and pomelo), then you land in a deep pool of minerality that's totally fascinating. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drinkable now, but best from 2023. (8/4/21)" Stuart Pigott (JamesSuckling.com)
2020 DR. BURKLIN WOLF GAISBOHL RIESLING MONOPOLE GC
Price: $75.00 Your Price: $66.00 Quantity in Stock: 3
(95 points) "Just sit back and let go! So much ripe gooseberry, kiwi and exotic fruit. So much charm and juiciness, too, which adds up to a full, silky package that's so easy to enjoy right now, because it pulls you into its warmhearted embrace. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold. (8/4/21)" Stuart Pigott (JamesSuckling.com)
2020 Dr. Burklin Wolf Riesling Wachenheimer P.C. Bohlig
Price: $51.50 Sale Price: $45.32 Quantity in Stock: 5
(94 points) "Generous stone-fruit and mandarin character, but there's nothing demonstrative about this! Likewise, the serious chalky structure sits in the medium to full body in a very relaxed way. Then comes the very long, elegant finish. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold. (9/23/21)" Stuart Pigott (JamesSuckling.com)
2019 Dr. Burklin Wolf Wachenheimer Riesling Bohlig PC
Price: $51.50 Your Price: $45.32 Quantity in Stock: 3
(95 points) Bundles of tropical flowers! Concentrated and suave, the warm and cool elements intertwine beautifully, until they become a silky, unified force in the very long finish. From biodynamically grown grapes with Biodyvin certification. Drink or hold. James Suckling (Sep 2020)
2017 Dr. Burklin Wolf Wachenheimer Riesling Auslese 375ml
Price: $57.50 Your Price: $50.60 Quantity in Stock: 8
Winemaker Notes: Sleek and concentrated, juicy lime skins and mango balanced with elegant sweetness.
The Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Estate has a tradition dating back to 1597, it is one of the largest and most important Estates in Germany.
The total vineyard area is 85 ha – a treasure trove of top-rated vineyard sites in the unique landscape of the Mittelhaardt – and it is here where we produce top-quality Riesling in harmony with nature. The Estate has always been considered to be a pioneer and trailblazer for change in German viticulture.
2002 Dr Burklin Wolf Gaisbohl Trokenbeeren Auslese 375ml
Price: $322.00 Your Price: $283.36 Quantity in Stock: 1
(98 Points) Sweet and intense, yet racy too, offering an amazing taste experience. The essence is of apricot, passion fruit and cinnamon; it has a light touch for such concentration due to its bracing structure. Endless finish. Drink now through 2025. 6 cases made. –BS Wine Spectator Issue: Mar 31, 2004
2002 Dr. Burklin-Wolf Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese Pfalz Wachenheimer Goldbächel Magnum
Price: $1050.00 Your Price: $924.00 Quantity in Stock: 1
(97 Points) Like syrup in texture, intensely sweet and powered by what must be an incredible level of acidity because it all remains fresh and tangy on the finish. Apricot, caramel, orange peel and sweet spices from botrytis are the flavors. Long, long finish. Drink now through 2025. 2 cases made. –BS Wine Spectator Issue: Mar 31, 2004
2021 Weingut Robert Weil Riesling Trocken Rheingau
Price: $28.25 Your Price: $24.86 Quantity in Stock: 5
This is a dry style and is their top seller in Germany and in the European market. This wine falls into the new Gutswein classificaiton which means domaine. They are one of the leaders in the dry riesling wine, green apple and lime citrus fruit on the nose with notes of fresh rock/slate like mineral. Fresh and bright with zesty lemon and lime citrus green apple and a zesty mineral laced finish, chalk and white flowers. Finish 35+ Very Good +
2021 Weingut Robert Weil Riesling Tradition Rheingau
Price: $28.00 Your Price: $24.64 Quantity in Stock: 5
A bit of residual here with 10% Alcohol with more power than the Mosel these Rheingau wines have more power, this wine has a similar bouquet with fresh green apple and lime citrus a note of honey and white flowers and a touch of that slate like mineral nuance and a bit of white pepper spice. A good amount of juicy white peach and green apple fruit, tongue tingly acidity and a long finish, a bit more concentration and rich with a zesty mineral laced finish, white flowers and a bit of spice at th eend. Finish 40+ Excellent
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