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.

“This astonishing dry riesling is already wonderful to drink, but it is, in fact, still very youthful and just beginning to reveal its awesome treasures. The very cool nose of white peach and wild herbs pulls you inexorably into the tunnel of incredibly intense wet stone minerality on the medium-bodied palate. And once you are in that tunnel it feels like there’s no exit and no turning back. In spite of this uncompromising nature, this is also so refined and so silky at the finish, it’s a wonder.”
— acclaim for 2022 Rudi Pichler Riesling Ried Achleiten Smaragd from James Suckling, Sep 2023

“This Wachau dry riesling masterpiece is still extremely youthful, so it is anything but a no-brainer. But if you are patient, notes of white peach, lemon balm and a slew of wild herbs emerge. Super-precise and super-focused on the extremely concentrated palate, the enormous energy almost all held in reserve for a journey to the stars that’s just beginning. Enormously long and refined crushed-stone finish.”
— acclaim for 2021 Rudi Pichler Riesling Ried Achleiten Smaragd from James Suckling, Nov 2022

"This Wachau dry riesling masterpiece is still extremely youthful, so it is anything but a no-brainer. But if you are patient, notes of white peach, lemon balm and a slew of wild herbs emerge. Super-precise and super-focused on the extremely concentrated palate, the enormous energy almost all held in reserve for a journey to the stars that’s just beginning. Enormously long and refined crushed-stone finish"
— acclaim for 2021 Rudi Pichler Riesling Ried Achleiten Smaragd from James Suckling, Sep 2022

View more acclaim

Find a Distributor