2019 Rudi Pichler Riesling Terrassen Smaragd Wachau Austria 750 ml

Rarely can you say without argument that a certain producer is the greatest in their country. With Rudi Pichler, you can say that without much pushback. While Austria’s history is full of fantastic wineries, none is more synonymous with excellence.

Dry Rieslings from Austria’s Wachau region are some of the great wines of the world, and few come anywhere close to Pichler’s bottled gold. His 2019 Terrassen is a monumentally powerful dry Riesling—and an exceptional deal.

While Rieslings from other top producers in the area easily top $60 per bottle, this is such a steal for a wine of this quality that Sur Lucero, our own Master Sommelier, declared “I’m buying a case” as soon as we closed the deal.

That’s because this wine is absolutely stunning now, but will blossom with time in the cellar. Smaragd is the most prestigious designation granted to dry Riesling in the Wachau, reserved only for wines with exceptional power and concentration, and they have a long track record of breathtaking development with age.

It was impossible to stop grinning once we stuck our noses into our glasses. There’s a riot of aromas, headlined by green papaya, lemongrass, and flinty rocks, with gorgeous accents of white flowers and a hint of peach. The palate is electric, full of mineral-laced lime zest, cherry blossoms, and white nectarines—all with a perfect balance of richness and acidity, creating a powerful tension that invites one sip after another.

Top Rieslings from the Wachau, like Pichler’s bottling, are some of the truly elite white wines of the world, capable of standing toe-to-toe with bottles from Burgundy or Alsace that are three times the price. It’s one of the most breathtaking regions in the wine world, with steep, terraced vineyards overlooking the majestic Danube river—and the wines show that drama in the glass.

Because they've been in the region since 1731, Pichler has some of the best holdings in the area, and puts them to perfect use. Yields are low, even by the standards of the Wachau, and Pichler utilizes a short maceration of the grapes before pressing to enhance palate presence and richness. That’s followed by fermentation and aging in stainless steel, preserving the wine's brightness, and a leisurely seven months on the lees to build texture and let the wine harmonize before bottling.

Once you factor in the quality of the exceptional 2019 vintage, it’s easy to see why Sur—and the rest of us—are eager to put a case in the cellar. Unfortunately, while the quality might be high, Pichler’s production remains minute. Fewer than 450 cases of this wine were made—and most of those remain in Austria.