Austrian Grand Cru:
Pure, Mineral, Saturating
2012 Prager Riesling
Achleiten Smaragd
Achleiten is one of Austria's "Grand Crus," and Prager's Toni Bodenstein is the master of the site.
Achleiten is prized for its mineral intensity, for its delineated length. If you're looking for a Wachau site that screams terroir, it's Achleiten.
Prager is one of our favorite producers. The wines are pure, precise and mineral. There is a sharp focus that belies the weight of concentration. The wines are intense rather than powerful.
When you combine Prager and Achleiten, really good things happen. It's as simple as that.
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| The Achleiten vineyard is known for its steep grade and rambling terraces. |
This is our first offering from 2012 in Austria. In short, it's a vintage that combines richness and concentration with an acid spine and elegance. Prager's fine, precise style allowed the intensity, the enveloping nature of the vintage to strut without going over the deep end. Everything here feels saturating, mineral and harmonious.
To return to the Achleiten vineyard, in Prager's hands it's staining, pure, slate-y, flinty, mineral and cut. At the same time, it delivers this dense minerality with pinpoint detail. There is a freshness to Achleiten that surely has to do with the grippy acidity though it's enhanced by the herbs, flowers, and again that tell-tale minerality.
Toni Bodenstein is one of the most skilled, thoughtful and fascinating winemakers that we know. And it shows in the brilliance of his 2012 Riesling Achleiten. Yet again, Prager has rendered some of the most finely etched and engaging wines of the vintage.
To order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits
2012 Prager Riesling Achleiten Smaragd