Rudi Pichler Riesling Ried Kirchweg Smaragd

Riesling Ried Kirchweg 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.

Kirchweg, or “church path,” gets its name from a former path to the nearby church of St. Michael. The vineyard faces southeast and rises gently towards the bottom of Hochrain. Rudi Pichler’s vines are planted near the foot of Hochrain where sedimentary soils provide excellent conditions for Riesling.

Rudi Pichler Winery
Rudi Pichler Vineyards
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Acclaim
“Pichler's 2021 Ried Kirchweg Riesling Smaragd offers clear, bright, elegant, concentrated and finely spiced fruit with depth and rocky notes but also phenolic aromas. Pure and salty on the palate, it's very grippy, almost grassy, with little texture and juice. It's not a wine for hedonists, but possibly for the patient?”
— Wine Advocate, Dec 2022
“I love the deep and delicate, peachy nose of this extremely attractive Wachau dry riesling. Wonderful fresh fruit with a touch of mint and lemon balm on the ripe but rather sleek and very precise palate. The power and concentration show themselves first at the stunningly long and pristine finish.”
— James Suckling, Nov 2022
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Vineyard & Production Info
Vineyard name
Ried Kirchweg
Vineyard size
14 acres
Soil composition
Gneiss, Rocky, and Sand
Training method
Cane-pruned
Elevation:
726-1,188 feet
Vines/acre:
1.8
Exposure:
Southern / Southwestern
Bottles produced of this wine:
3,000
Average Vine Age:
35-45 years
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Winemaking & Aging
Prefermentation Technique:
Cold soak
Time on its skins:
12 hours
Varietal composition:
100% Riesling
Fermentation container:
Stainless steel tanks
Malolactic fermentation:
no
Type of aging container:
Stainless steel tanks
Length of aging before bottling:
7 months
Length of bottle aging:
1 month
Total SO2
98
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.2
Acidity:
7.7 g/L
Alcohol:
13.5 %
Dry extract:
25 g/L
Total SO2
98
Residual sugar:
1.9 g/L