Rudi Pichler Gruner Veltliner Ried Achleithen Smaragd 2022 (750ML)

98 JS / 96 VM

One of the most extraordinary gruner veltliners of the vintage. Still very young, this great wine has an astonishing purity. At the upper limit of medium-bodied with a staggeringly intense stony minerality that’s beautifully interwoven with the wide spectrum of yellow and green stone fruit aromas. Yes, it has some serious richness on the mid-palate, but even there it is extremely precise, then, at the finish, you descend ever deeper into the crystalline mysteries of the earth. Drinkable now, but best from 2025.—James Suckling

The 2022 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten is on poor parcels of Gföhler gneiss from 80-85-year-old-vines. The nose has an unusual, even uncanny, citrus scent, while the palate is super taut, linear, very tight and, dare I say it, almost Riesling-like in its shape and intensity. The only aspect that announces this as Grüner versus Riesling is the pepperiness. This is bright, savory, taut and juicy. (Bone-dry)-- Anne Krebiehl MW, Vinous Media