Rudi Pichler > Wachau

WACHAU

Rudi Pichler, Jr. took over the family estate in 1997 and since then

has convincingly demonstrated that he belongs in the top rank of

Wachau winegrowers. Whether in difficult vintages like 2000 and

2003, or near-perfect ones like 1997 and 1999, Pichler’s wines always

show a finely poised depth and remarkable individuality of character.

He’s achieved this by not being afraid to take risks in the vineyards or

in the cellar. Pichler rejected enological school, and opted instead for

hands-on training, most notably with Josef Jamek in the neighboring

village of Joching. He furthered his education by tasting wines from

around the world: “I learned winemaking by winetasting,” Pichler says.

He is one of the few producers in the Wachau who favors macerating

his white wine grapes with the skins: He believes it increases the expression

of terroir and brings better structure and harmony to the wine.

After destemming and pressing, the juice is left on the skins, up to 12

hours for Federspiel and 16 hours for Smaragd. “Skin contact is a very

important part of my vinification,” says Pichler, “because the skin is like

the fingerprint of the terroir of the vineyard and the vine.” He eschews

sulfur during this process, using only a blanket of carbon dioxide to prevent

oxidation. “Sulfites level the character of the grape and the soil, and

also destroy the fine differences of the aromas,” Pichler says.

Pichler is fanatic about making wines that express terroir. “For me,

the highest aim is to get the earth in the bottle,” he says. His riesling

from the Achleiten vineyard is a good example: always intensely minerally,

this character is combined in 2003 with the richly textured ripeness

of the vintage, held in perfect balance. The grüner veltliner Smaragd

from Kollmütz, a rocky vineyard with some sandy loess, is dense and

powerful, almost feral in its muscularity and grip. Both of these wines

need time in the cellar to show their best, but for current drinking, try

the deliciously ripe 2003 Wachau Federspiel Grüner Veltliner, a classic

example of the variety.

Rudi Pichler Website

Weissburgunder Kollmutz

Grüner Veltliner Smaragd "Terrassen"

Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Hochrain

Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Kollmutz

Riesling 03 Smaragd Achleiten

Grüner Veltliner Federspiel "Wachauer"