Prager Achleiten Riesling

Riesling Ried Achleiten Smaragd bottle image

Wine Description

Franz Prager, co-founder of the Vinea Wachau, had already earned a reputation for his wines when Toni Bodenstein married into the family. Bodenstein’s passion for biodiversity and old terraces, coupled with brilliant winemaking, places Prager in the highest echelon of Austrian producers.

Smaragd is a designation of ripeness for dry wines used exclusively by members of the Vinea Wachau. The wines must have a minimum alcohol of 12.5%. The grapes are hand-harvested, typically in October and November, and are sent directly to press where they spontaneously ferment in stainless-steel tanks.

Achleiten sits east of Weißenkirchen and is one of the most famous vineyards in the Wachau. The steeply-terraced vineyard existed in Roman times. Some sections have just 40 cm of topsoil over the bedrock of Gföler Gneiss, amphibolitic stone, and slate. “Destroyed soil,” as Toni Bodenstein likes to say.

Prager Vineyards
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Acclaim
“Lavish yet delicate peach, apricot, mandarin and exotic floral aromas. Ripe and rich, yet very finely nuanced, the finish long and really succulent with underlying cool minerality.”
— James Suckling, Oct 2018
“Beautifully crafted, showing purity to the jasmine, lime and Bosc pear flavors, accented by hints of sea salt and wet stone. The finish is bright and long. A little grip toward the finish builds up the structure, promising a long life ahead. Should develop nicely.”
— Wine Spectator, Mar 2019
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Vineyard & Production Info
Vineyard name
Ried Achleiten
Vineyard size
55 acres
Soil composition
Gföler Gneiss
Elevation:
686-1,175 feet
Vines/acre:
2,960
Yield/acre:
1.6 tons
Exposure:
Southeastern
Year vineyard planted:
1952-1953
Harvest time:
November
First vintage of this wine:
1955
Bottles produced of this wine:
6,900
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Winemaking & Aging
Varietal composition:
100% Riesling
Fermentation container:
Stainless steel tanks
Length of alcoholic fermentation:
28 days
Fermentation temperature:
64 °F
Type of aging container:
Stainless steel tanks
Length of aging before bottling:
7 months
Length of bottle aging:
2 months
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Analytical Data
No relevant data were found.