Rudi Pichler

Brand Description

Rudi Pichler is among the elite growers of the Wachau producing wines of precision, power, and longevity. The cellar is based in the village of Wösendorf where generations of Pichlers have tended vines since 1731. Rudolph Pichler, III took over the winery in 1997 and has since expanded the vineyards and constructed a modern cellar in 2004. Grüner Veltliner and Riesling make up 95% of the production with the remaining 5% shared between Weißburgunder and Roter Veltliner. Rudi Pichler belongs to the prestigious Vinea Wachau and vinifies under the strict parameters of their codex. He was awarded Falstaff’s Vintner of the Year in 2010.

Location of Vineyard

Weingut Rudi Pichler consists of 37 acres spread between Wösendorf, Joching, Weißenkirchen, and Mautern. Wösendorf and Joching lie in the heart of the Wachau Valley where south-facing terraces look down at the Danube River. Here, rieden such as Kirchweg, Hochrain, and Kollmütz are marked by occasional deposits of loess over base rock. Rudi produces crystal-clear expressions of Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, and Weißburgunder from these sites. Directly east of Joching is Weißenkirchen, home to the famous rieden of Steinriegl and Achleithen, two distinctive Riesling sites with calcareous and weathered gneiss, respectively. Rudi also maintains a small vineyard of Roter Veltliner across the river in Mautern.

Winemaking Philosophy

“I’m a wine caretaker not a winemaker,” is Rudi’s credo, placing the intensity of work in the vineyards at the foundation of his philosophy. Rudi wants vineyard and varietal expression to be as clear as possible so yields are kept low between 30 and 35 hectoliters per hectare with harvest and botrytis carefully removed by hand. Grapes are crushed by foot and receive between three and 36 hours of maceration on the skins depending on the vintage and style. “The skin has information about the specific place where it is from,” says Rudi. Vinification is entirely in stainless-steel tanks and malolactic fermentation is avoided. The resulting wines are pure, dense, and taut with energy.

No relevant data were found.

“The 2022 Grüner Veltliner Federspiel was harvested across 20 parcels from valley floor to high altitude. The nose is immediately savory, bold and yeasty, yet so light. While there is relative ripeness, this is utterly mouth-watering, and so appetizing in its savoriness and subtle gentleness framed by gentle phenolics.” — acclaim for 2022 Rudi Pichler Grüner Veltliner Federspiel from Vinous, Feb 2024

“The 2022 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Terrassen is a blend of top sites in Wösendorf and Joching, some sandy, and some on mica schist, with minimal loess. The nose opens with a white miso savoriness blended with fresh green pear flesh. A crushed sage and yeast notion coats the mouth and presents a lovely web of fine, veil-like phenolics, finishing super-savory, salty and peppery.” — acclaim for 2022 Rudi Pichler Grüner Veltliner Terrassen Smaragd from Vinous, Feb 2024

“The 2022 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Kollmütz is picked in the core parcels of the Kollmütz in weathered paragneiss that roots can penetrate, picked from 55-to-80-year-old vines. Subtle smokiness on the nose leads to a serene palate with hints of fern-like, sage-like spice. The palate continues in this subtle fashion but opens up on the mid-palate with an immensely salty, herbaceous yeastiness, adding hay and pepper. This lovely slenderness and linearity just glide along—serene, elegant, bright and so salty, with an echo of white pepper.” — acclaim for 2022 Rudi Pichler Grüner Veltliner Ried Kollmütz Smaragd from Vinous, Feb 2024

View more acclaim

Find a Distributor