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
“The 2019 Ried Kirchweg Riesling Smaragd is intense and elegant on the nose that is still yeasty in the beginning but becomes more and more crystalline and stony after some minutes. Pure, refined and very elegant on the palate, this is a concentrated, dense and juicy, complex and juicy-mineral Kirchweg with persistent salinity and mineral grip. It is long and intense on the finish.”
— Wine Advocate, Dec 2021
“Nicely balanced between richness and a lively focus, this white delivers peach, grapefruit, floral and stone flavors with cut and precision. It’s firm and ends with a mouthwatering finish.”
— Wine Spectator Insider, May 2021
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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:
2,000
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
106
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.3
Acidity:
6.8 g/L
Alcohol:
13.5 %
Total SO2
106
Residual sugar:
4.8 g/L