Austria: Power and Mineral
2011 FX Pichler Riesling
Steinertal & Kellerberg Smaragd
No Austrian producer has captured people's attention the way FX Pichler has. No other producer combines elegance and polish with resounding transparency of terroir.
This is the magic of F.X. Pichler - a crystalline, glossy, sexy presentation of fruit, a sort of over-the-top swagger and glide, yet for all this show, the wines are ruthlessly clear, pristine, transparent.
They are honest and terroir-driven wines and THIS is why they remain an obsession for both Riesling fanatics and serious collectors.
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Today, we present our two favorite bottlings from the 2011 vintage - arguably two of the greatest dry Rieslings coming out of Austria: Steinertal and Kellerberg.
The pricing is as good as it'll ever get.
STEINERTAL
This is one of the most underrated sites/wines in the F.X. Pichler arsenal. Those of you who know Alzinger's Steinertal (Alzinger also farms some of the vineyard), you know the potential, the delineation, the fine-ness of the mineral expression that the Steinertal is capable of. F.X. Pichler's rendition is extremely focused, with great delineation of mineral and stone fruits. This is one of those insider bottlings and it's capable of aging - do not underestimate!
KELLERBERG
The Kellerberg is arguably the greatest site in the Wachau - at least, it's always tasted that way to us. Year in and year out, F.X. Pichler's Kellerberg is one of the top dry Rieslings of Austria; it is statuesque and commanding, a muscular, powerful wine that somehow manages amazing grace as well. This is as complete as Austrian dry Riesling gets - depth and detail, power and focus. Expect the aging curve here to be ten plus years, easy.
The 2011 vintage in Austria was defined by a cool summer and then, a gloriously sunny, nearly perfect, late summer and early fall. By all accounts, Riesling is the darling of the vintage. At its best, there's an extroverted aromatics of clear fruit with a backdrop of minerals to the 2011s. The wines are ample, but in the hands of Pichler, backed by detail and freshness.
F.X. Pichlers wines are never around in much quantity; they are never around for long. Like most things this finely rendered, quantities are pretty meager. Please give us your ideal order and we'll allocate as best as we can.
To order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits