F.X. Pichler Winery Visit (2004 Vintage)
FX Pichler Winery, Oberloiben, Wachau Valley, Austria
Tasted Thursday, August 18, 2005 by Vino Me with 876 views
Introduction
Last month my wife and I visited this winery in the Wachau Valley of Austria during a day trip for Vienna. It is an easy 1.25 hour drive. FX Pichler is probably the easiest winery to find in the valley. It is at the intersection of the only stoplight on the road that runs along the North side of the Danube river. They are located in the town of Oberloiben.
I considered this a must stop for any visit to the Wachau Valley. FX Pichler has the reputation as the best white winemaker in Austria. I tried to make an appointment for a tasting in advance but was told by the daughter, Elizabeth Pichler, that she would be on vacation. We stopped in anyway hoping someone would be available and the winemaker/Son of the owner, Lucas Pichler, and his dog Zoe came to the gate and invited us in. It turns out that Elizabeth got married the week before to the Son of the best red wine maker in Austria (Kunstler- the maker of Perwolff) and was on her honeymoon.
Lucas Pichler has been the winemaker since 1999 when his Father handed reigns over to him. His Father still handles the vineyard management. They own 13 hectares in the Wachau. The wines I tried were mostly from 2004 which was a very ripe vintage. Lucas thought highly of the vintage and stated that the best wines came form those who picked late. Unfortunately, at this time of year, his top wines from the Kellerberg vineyard and his "M" are sold out and not available for tasting.
The grapes for Pichlers dry white are picked in 3 passes. The grapes from the 1st pass go into their Federspiel wines. The grapes from the 2nd pass go into a Smaragd wine made from a blend of vineyard called Von Den Terrassen. The 3rd picking go into their single vineyard Smaragd wines.
Here are my notes on the wines we tried
Flight 1 (3 Notes)
Flight 2 (4 Notes)
Closing
The prices were very good (about half what you would expect to pay in the US). We bought the 2004 Gruve Loibnerberg, 2004 Riesling Steinertal and 2004 Riesling Loibnerberg.
2004 F.X. Pichler Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Von den Terrassen 87 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Made from the 2nd picking of the grapes. This is a blend from their various terraced vineyards. This was spritzy with some white pepper notes. The fruit seemed simple at this young age and not very complex. A crisp wine with high acidity. 87 points.
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2003 F.X. Pichler Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Loibner Berg 86 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
This was the only non2004 wine poured. Rich in minerality but it seemed low in acidity. It had a band aid/medicinal taste at the present time. My least favorite of the wines poured and a far cry from the much superior 2004. 85-86 points.
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2004 F.X. Pichler Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Loibner Berg 91 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
The grapes for this wine came from the 3rd pass through the vineyard in November. The WA liked this wine very much and gave it a 93. A clean wine. Very youthful but it had some impressive stone and apple notes. Riper than the 2003 with a much fresher and longer finish. 90-91+ points.
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