Rudi Pichler Grüner Veltliner Ried Achleiten Smaragd

Grüner Veltliner Ried Achleithen Smaragd bottle image

Wine Description

Rudi Pichler is among the elite growers of the Wachau producing wines of precision, power, and longevity. 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.

Yields are kept low between 30 and 35 hectoliters per hectare with botrytis carefully removed by hand.  Grapes are crushed by foot and receive between three and 36 hours of maceration on the skins. Vinification is entirely in stainless-steel tanks and malolactic fermentation is avoided.

Achleithen, from “ach” meaning water path and “leiten” referring to the slope, is a terraced vineyard in Weißenkirchen sitting between 200 and 400 meters of elevation. Rudi Pichler’s parcel lies in the small section of Achleithen that faces west where weathered Gföler Gneiss dominates the upper terraces. Achleithen is one of the most famous vineyards in the Wachau and gives wines that are distinctly mineral.

Rudi Pichler Winery
Rudi Pichler Vineyards
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Acclaim
“The 2022 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten is on poor parcels of Gföhler gneiss from 80-85-year-old-vines. The nose has an unusual, even uncanny, citrus scent, while the palate is super taut, linear, very tight and, dare I say it, almost Riesling-like in its shape and intensity. The only aspect that announces this as Grüner versus Riesling is the pepperiness. This is bright, savory, taut and juicy.” — Vinous, Feb 2024
“One of the most extraordinary gruner veltliners of the vintage. Still very young, this great wine has an astonishing purity. At the upper limit of medium-bodied with a staggeringly intense stony minerality that’s beautifully interwoven with the wide spectrum of yellow and green stone fruit aromas. Yes, it has some serious richness on the mid-palate, but even there it is extremely precise, then, at the finish, you descend ever deeper into the crystalline mysteries of the earth.” — James Suckling, Dec 2023
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Vineyard & Production Info
Vineyard name
Ried Achleithen
Vineyard size
55 acres
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:
Southwestern
Year vineyard planted:
1970
Harvest time:
November
Bottles produced of this wine:
3,500
Average Vine Age:
50+ years
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Winemaking & Aging
Prefermentation Technique:
Cold soak
Time on its skins:
18 hours
Varietal composition:
100% Grüner Veltliner
Fermentation container:
Stainless steel tanks
Length of alcoholic fermentation:
14 days
Fermentation temperature:
64-72 °F
Malolactic fermentation:
no
Fining agent:
Vegan
Type of aging container:
Stainless steel tanks
Length of aging before bottling:
7 months
Length of bottle aging:
1 month
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.4
Acidity:
4.9 g/L
Alcohol:
13.5 %
Residual sugar:
2.1 g/L