2010 Pichler Fest
Sun Wah BBQ - Chicago, IL
Tasted Monday, June 25, 2012 by tooch with 604 views
Introduction
Big thanks to the folks at Sun Wah for hosting us and preparing a great meal. I especially enjoyed their fried tofu skins, and, of course, the duck. Also, thanks to Tim O'Rourke for helping me source these bottles.
I decanted the Gruner's for about 13 hours before dinner and I should have used a similar approach to the study Rieslings. Most thought the Gruners were more expressive and it wasn't until we were packing up that some of the Rieslings began to unveil their underlying character.
Flight 1 - Riesling Flight (6 Notes)
These were all pop and pour. Great flight overall, but only the Kellerberg really reached the heights I was hoping for.
Flight 2 - Champagne Intermezzo (1 Note)
Flight 3 - Gruner Flight (6 Notes)
These were opened at 6am and were slow-ox'd in my fridge during the day. A great flight...
2010 F.X. Pichler Riesling Federspiel Loibner Burgstall 88 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Pop and pour. Spritzy notes of crushed rock, lemon, pear and herbs. The palate had lots of energy and an interesting spritz to it. With some air the flavors fleshed out a bit more and some nice white floral tones built.
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2010 F.X. Pichler Riesling Smaragd Loibner Berg 91 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Pop and pour. Similar notes to before. Took some time to loosen up but the scent of peaches, lychee and petrichor were dense and taut. Great energy on the palate.
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2010 F.X. Pichler Riesling Smaragd Loibner Oberhauser 92 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Pop and pour. This seemed to be a real winner in the first flight. While still displaying great energy and tautness to the palate it was a bit more lush than the first two. The flavors were a touch more relaxed and accessible - with peach, pear, lemon, hay and wet stone. One of the better vintages of the Oberhauser I've had.
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2010 F.X. Pichler Riesling Smaragd Ried Steinertal 91 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Pop and pour. Compared to my last taste of this back in October, this was a bit less energetic with lots of crushed rock and floral notes. Towards the end of the night the floral and exotic fruit notes seemed to build and build. I should have decanted this for a couple hours before hand...would have gotten a better read on it.
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2010 F.X. Pichler Riesling Smaragd 'M' 91 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Pop and pour. Exotic and lush are the descriptors that immediately come to mind when I think about this. Dense flavors of mango, peach, passion fruit mingle with elegant white florals and crushed stones. Compared to the other higher end Pichler cuvees, this seemed to have a bit more unctuousness and weight to the palate. Sacrificing a touch of the freshness, this had the tropical fruit tuned up to an 11.
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2010 F.X. Pichler Riesling Smaragd Ried Kellerberg 95 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Pop and pour. To me, this was the clear class of the 2010 Pichler riesling lineup. Do yourself a favor and decant this if you're planning on drinking it now...air really elevated the aromatics. A classic Pichler in every sense of the word, though, with the sensation of drizzling freshly squeezed peach juice down a chalkboard. Sizzling minerality, incredible complex and layered peach, pear and petrichor tones with beautiful spicy herbal and floral notes. Great stuff.
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