Prager Wachstum Bodenstein Riesling

Riesling Wachstum Bodenstein 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 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.

Wachstum, meaning “Growth” or “Cru,” is a nursery for Toni Bodenstein who planted 25 different nursery clones of Riesling 460 meters in elevation at the top of Hinter Seiber. When planted in 1990, the goal of Wachstum Bodenstein was to preserve biodiversity. First produced in 1993, it is now one of Prager’s most sought-after wines.

Prager Vineyards
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Acclaim
“From the Weissenkirchen Ried Hochseiberer, the 2018 Riesling Smaragd Wachstum Bodenstein offers an intense and concentrated bouquet of firm and fresh but later also concentrated stone fruits, which indicates a first hint of maturity but first of all great concentration. Crystalline, refined and elegant on the first palate, this is a rich but powerful, athletic and persistently salty Riesling with great vitality and tension on the pure and vivacious finish. This is an excellent Riesling with stunning finesse and vitality for the 2018 vintage.”
— Wine Advocate, Dec 2021
“A subtle wine, more about texture, depth and harmony than in-your-face flavors. The floral, peach and mineral notes match seamlessly with the suave texture and racy character of this Riesling, which builds in intensity to the long, citrus-infused finish. Fine and graceful.”
— Wine Spectator, Dec 2020
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Vineyard & Production Info
Vineyard name
Wachstum Bodenstein (Ried Hinter Seiber)
Vineyard size
2 acres
Soil composition
Paragneiss
Elevation:
1,509 feet
Vines/acre:
2,720
Yield/acre:
1.6 tons
Exposure:
Southern
Year vineyard planted:
1990
Harvest time:
November
First vintage of this wine:
1993
Bottles produced of this wine:
3,200
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Winemaking & Aging
Varietal composition:
100% Riesling
Fermentation container:
Stainless steel tanks
Length of alcoholic fermentation:
35 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.