Rudi Pichler Riesling Terrassen Smaragd

Riesling Terrassen Smaragd bottle image

Wine Description

Smaragd is the Wachau designation for dry late harvest wines, above 12.5% alcohol through natural fermentation.  The best smaragd wines can age well for decades.  Terrassen indicates it is a cuvee of different hillside sites. Old terraces of varied altitudes and orientations and with primitive rock soils make this wine an elegant culinary accompaniment - with its delicate structure, white peach aroma and subtle slate tone.

Rudi Pichler Winery
Rudi Pichler Vineyards
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Acclaim
“Pichler’s 2010 Riesling Smaragd Terrassen has an almost impossible act to follow given the performance of its ostensibly “lesser” Federspiel sibling, but at 12.5% alcohol – i.e. just a half percentage more than that Federspiel – and similar near-complete analytical dryness, this possesses a delectably distinctive personality. White peach and yellow plum offer a seemingly-sweet ripe account of themselves, with mouthwatering saline savor and subtly stony and crystalline notes engaging in shimmering fruit-mineral interaction on a buoyant and refreshing finish. I suspect that the purity of fruit and elegance on display will be maintained for 8-10 years.”
— Wine Advocate, Oct 2011
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Vineyard & Production Info
Vineyard name
Terrassen
Soil composition
Gneiss and Rocky
Training method
Cane-pruned
Elevation:
726-1,188 feet
Vines/acre:
1,800
Yield/acre:
1.2-2.16 tons
Exposure:
Southern / Southwestern
Harvest time:
October-November
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Winemaking & Aging
Maceration length:
1
Varietal composition:
100% Riesling
Fermentation container:
Stainless steel tanks
Length of alcoholic fermentation:
14 days
Fermentation temperature:
64-72 °F
Maceration technique:
Cold Soak Maceration
Type of aging container:
Stainless steel tanks
Size of aging container:
1000-5000L
Length of aging before bottling:
7 months
Length of bottle aging:
1 month
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Analytical Data
Acidity:
9.2 g/L
Alcohol:
12.5 %
Residual sugar:
1.1 g/L