2021 Rudi Pichler Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Wachau 750 ml

Rudi Pichler is one of the stars of the Wachau, Austria’s most famous region for powerful yet immaculately precise white wines. 

He’s won the coveted Winery of the Year award from Falstaff—the Austrian equivalent of Wine Spectator—and is a member of the prestigious Vinea Wachau growers association. Of the myriad of legendary bottles he makes, Pichler’s Grüner Veltliner Federspiel bottling is remarkable for its ability to convey exactly what makes his wines special—and to do it at an everyday price.

But in a year like 2021—which is gaining once-in-a-generation hype for its wines’ superb balance between intense, robust fruit and electric acidity—this bottle is a real step up. It’s a world-class white for a surprisingly low price, and its generous nuance and complexity shows why growers across Austria are talking about the year as the best since the fabled 1999.

“Federspiel” is the middle classification for Wachau wines—and it might just be the Goldilocks level of ripeness for the region’s Grüner Veltliner. With less body and alcohol than more expensive Smaragd bottles, Rudi Pichler’s Grüner is bright and refreshing enough to drink on its own but absolutely shines at the dinner table. It brings out the best in ingredients that can be hard to find a match for—parsnips, artichokes, Japanese sweet potatoes, you name it—but it’s also perfect to pop while roasting a weeknight chicken. 

The wine is blended from parcels throughout the estate: Rich, lush fruit comes from plantings on the valley floor, while terraced vines deliver pinpoint cut. The result is a chiseled, crystalline, and fresh Grüner Veltliner that’s one of the best deals you’ll find on noble, mineral-inflected white wine.