High-Altitude Austrians - Low Prices
2007 and 2006 Prager Rieslings and Grüners
EXCEPTIONAL Pricing on Top Prager Bottlings
Including RARE Magnums
For ANY lover of white wine, the "Great Whites" of Prager are really not to be missed.
They are, quite simply, among my favorite white wines, period.
Prager's dry Rieslings and Grüners are fleshy and tactile enough to impress the devoted Chardonnay fan, yet sinewy and saturated with mineral; they snap and crackle with acidity, providing more refreshment (especially from the bonkers-good 2007 vintage) than Pinot Grigio could fathom in its wildest dreams.
Today we present a small selection of Prager's greatest white wines at prices that are 10-20% below their initial release prices.
We're thrilled to be able to bring these wines to the Crush Crew at razor-sharp pricing - this is a buying opportunity not to miss.
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For about $35, the Riesling Steinriegl and Grüner Liebenberg are top quality expressions of what Austria is capable of - a perfect introduction if you've never experienced Austrian white wine. The Klaus, Achleiten and Wachstum Bodenstein bottlings are worthy of even the choicest cellar. More on all the wines below.
While the Prager estate owns a simply mind-twisting array of noble vineyards - from Achleiten to Klaus and Hollerin - the extraordinary truth and rigor of these wines has to be largely credited to winemaker Toni Bodenstein, pictured above high up in the Achleiten.
I don't think many would argue with the notion that Bodenstein is among the most knowledgeable and influential winemakers in Austria. Tasting with Bodenstein is like being dropped into the middle of an AP class on geology; he has been personally responsible for cultivating a "Noah's Ark" of Riesling and Grüner clones and planting some of the highest-altitude sites in Austria. Click here for an essay on Bodenstein and some of his exceptional vineyards.
Across the board, 2007 may very well be both the greatest vintage since 2001 and the most overlooked. The lone 2006er being offered today is one of the great monuments of this vintage, its high-altitude home offering it a uniquely finessed presentation of this ripe, ripe vintage.
Do not miss these wines.
This parcel is small; the prices are low - which means these are likely to disappear very quickly. Please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463 to order.
Stephen Bitterolf
Wine Director
Crush Wine & Spirits
2007 Grüner Veltliner Liebenberg Smaragd
Schildknecht, Wine Advocate: "New to the Prager collection is a 2007 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Liebenberg, from 50-year-old vines in a mica-schist site, with a genetic diversity and around 25% pole-trained vines - a sure sign of generations of genuine vine selection that sparked Bodenstein’s imagination. Pungent lemon and grapefruit zest, persimmon, and a salinity that begins already in the nose, offer contrast to this wine’s honeyed, nut oil, and ripe peach richness. Polished and refined, with an oily slick and pungent spice that point toward botrytis, this finishes with impressive clarity, a positively sizzling counterpoint of pepper and shimmering, crystalline minerality (metaphorically, at least!), with citrus and ripe peach. For all of its richness and pungency, it displays graceful elegance and levity, tinged with faint warmth. This should be worth following for at least 5-7 years."
2007 Riesling Steinriegl Smaragd
Schildknecht, Wine Advocate: "Bodenstein’s 2007 Riesling Smaragd Steinriegl certainly makes me believe in the power of suggestion (if not in any direct communication from rocks) because knowing that this site is unusual for its marble content, this is a metaphorically marble-lined wine if ever it existed: cool, polished, and mysteriously reflective of ripe melon and pit fruits, and shimmering with spice, pepper, and mineral pungency. Is it sticking to my tongue or my tongue to it? And talk about “extract sweetness’ (as one is apt to do, in German anyway): this has it in spades. I’d plan to follow this for 6-8 years."
2007 Grüner Veltiner Achleiten Smaragd Magnum
Schildknecht, Wine Advocate: "The Prager 2007 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten features a Chenin-like citrus oils, quince, and stone interplay, a broth-like suffusion of mineral character, and finishes with added notes of mint and coffee. As with the Zwerithaler, relatively low acidity lends itself to a low-toned cast, yet this finishes very clear, with some of the dynamic pure fruit and mineral interplay such as one has come to expect from this great site. It should be worth following for 7-9 years."
2007 Riesling Klaus Smaragd
Schildknecht, Wine Advocate: "The Prager 2007 Riesling Smaragd Klaus exhibits a saline, citric, bittersweet peach and peach pit melange that positively sticks to the gums. This brash, high-strung wine hasn’t got the elegance of Achleiten, but time in bottle will bring some refinement. The finish here is exceptionally transparent, even if it’s hard to express just what mineral stuff you are glimpsing. However else you describe it, this is classic Klaus. Expect the 2007 to reward at least a decade’s cellaring."
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2006 Riesling Wachstum Bodenstein Smaragd
Schildknecht, Wine Advocate: "Harvested November 11 – actually relatively early for this exceptionally high-elevation site – the 2006 Riesling Smaragd Wachstum Toni Bodenstein displays amazing richness and sheer density. Scents and flavors of tropical fruits, caramelized peach and yellow plum, malt, and honey predominating in another voluminous, ester-rich display of ripeness typical for this vintage. Bitter-sweet, long, and powerful in finish, it misses the core of juicy fresh fruit or the mineral dimension of the Achleiten. Still, I would not hesitate to follow this for 5-7 years, re-assessing its further potential along the way."
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