Austria's Prager Workshop with Toni Bodenstein

Toni Bodenstein of Prager guided a packed room of wine lovers at the VinCE wine conference in Budapest. We learned many things: he dislikes EU rules on clones, he avoids botrytis in his dry wines, he loves to explain terroir of the terraces above the Danube. But his plantings are rather recent: Riesling in 1990 and Gruner Veltliner in 1998. the stony Achleiten terraced vineyards (in one of the photos on the screen) above the Donau.

• 2010 Prager Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Ried Achleiten 91 Points

  Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

  The 2010 GV Smaragd exudes like freshness and wet stone like minerality on the nose, with a rather seamless dry expression of stone and citrus with light smoky notes, medium bodied subtle and lingering salty finish. Wonderful.

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• 2010 Prager Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Wachstum Bodenstein 92 Points

  Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

  This has a more subtle yet richer nose, and more sap on the palate. I enjoyed its texture and seamlessness as well as the Achleiten but just a bit more body to it.

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• 2010 Prager Grüner Veltliner Stockkultur Smaragd Ried Achleiten 89 Points

  Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

  I am not certain that his was in fact Achleiten as the label indicated just Smaragd Stockkultur. In any case, its floral nose proved attractive with a smoky/lime-salt flavor, although the palate is somewhat fleeting. I did like the tonic finish however, but feel that the GV Wachstum Bodenstein had more substance. Indeed, Toni Bodenstein of Prager, who was guiding us through the tasting, explained that the Wachstum Bodenstein comes from terraced vineyards that have less stones and more compacted sediments, leading to a richer mid palate.

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• 2010 Prager Riesling Smaragd Ried Achleiten 89 Points

  Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

  Here we get a bit of lanolin/petrol that is not usually encountered, I have been lead to understand, with Prager Rieslings. In any case, I liked the stony/grapefruit flavors and density on the palate albeit a touch of warmth on the finish detracts for me.

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• 2010 Prager Riesling Smaragd Klaus 91 Points

  Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

  More subtle aromatics but Bodenstein said "if you allow me" that this wine is more "masculine" in that it will need more time to express itself. Perhaps. I liked its density but there was an almost spritz like grapefruit on the mid palate that focused the flavors. The finish does clamp down a bit, and there is again density. Perhaps it does need time but I like it now, too.

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• 2010 Prager Riesling Smaragd Wachstum Bodenstein 93 Points

  Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

  Coming from very higher terraces - 450 meters? - and the last to be harvested. There is opulence on the nose and palate with great focus throughout and a lingering finish. This is a special wine!

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• 1997 Prager Riesling Smaragd Steinriegl 94 Points

  Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

  Actually, this was a Weissenkirchner RIED from 1997, older label, with just seven year old vines, since Riesling was planted here in 1990. Lovely balance and harmony and not tasting as old as the vintage would suggest. I must say that this comes from memory, very pure wine.

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Sometimes Riesling wines are more about their parts - acidity, residual sugars, alcohol - than about the sum of those parts. What I liked about all the Prager wines were their clean quality and seamlessness.