Rudi Pichler Riesling Smaragd Terrassen 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. Terrassen indicates a cuvee made from multiple terraced sites. Smaragd is a term used by Vinea Wachau (governing wine body) indicating a dry wine with a minimum abv of 12.5%.