Rudi Pichler Riesling Smaragd Hochrain 2020

Rudi Pichler is one of the elite producers in the Wachau region of Austria. The production of his wines is 65% Gruner Veltliner and 30% Riesling with the remaining 5% shared between Weissburgunder and Roter Veltliner. The word Achleithen comes from "ach: meaning water path and "leiten" referring to the slope. This is one of the most famous vineyards in the Wachau with gneiss and rocky soils which gives the wines a distinct mineral flavor. Rudi states “I’m a wine caretaker not a winemaker,” placing most of the work is done in the vineyards and at the foundation of his philosophy. His style is to keep yields low between 30-35 hectoliters per hectare, botrytis is carefully removed by hand, grapes are crushed by foot and depending on the style and vintage, receive 3-36 hours of maceration. The vinification is done entirely in stainless-steel tanks and malolactic fermentation is avoided. The resulting wines are pure, bright and age worthy. The name hochrain means "high place" and has an unsually high content of loess which produces wines that are broad and rich.