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
“Pichler's Weissenkrichen 2021 Ried Achleithen Grüner Veltliner Smaragd opens with very clear, elegant, finely spicy and stony, only delicately phenolic fruit. Dense, rich and quite substantial on the palate, this is a powerful, firm, somewhat bitter and outwardly solid GV from the Achleithen. It has firm tannins and an intense, powerful but not (yet) particularly persistent finish.”
— Wine Advocate, Dec 2022
“Very complex, youthful nose with a huge spectrum of aromas, ranging from crisp pear and spring blossoms to a whole garden of herbs. Extremely elegant and silky, this great Wachau gruner veltliner has underplayed power, the wine gliding over the palate into the extremely subtle crushed-rock finish that takes your breath away.”
— James Suckling, Nov 2022
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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:
3,000
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
Total SO2
107
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.4
Acidity:
5.9 g/L
Alcohol:
13.5 %
Dry extract:
23.5 g/L
Total SO2
107
Residual sugar:
2.9 g/L