F.X. Pichler has a long history of innovation. Founded in 1898, this family winery is now in the hands of its seventh generation. Based in Wachau, Austria, the Pichler family has pushed quality by always being at the sharp end of new practices. Massal selection in the early 1900s paved the way for quality Gruner Veltliner and Riesling for the Wachau region and a strong vineyard focus helped to identify its best sites. Decades of attention to detail have earned them the reputation as one of the very best producers in Austria, adorned with 100-point scores and countless awards.
The top single vineyard wines express their individualities beautifully in 2022 from both Gruner Veltliner and Riesling. Steinertal lies to the east, a natural amphitheatre adjacent to a forest that lends a cooling breeze to the site. Slow ripening, this site produces wines of elegance and tension, always more lifted and zestier in fruit character. Loibenberg is an extreme vineyard, with very steep south-facing slopes that are a suntrap throughout the year. Thankfully, the slopes also help to clear the heat in the evenings, creating cooler nights to retain acidity. Nonetheless, the wines are fuller, fleshier and spicy, though they still have great ageing potential. Kellerberg is a world-class and recognised vineyard. Steep and terraced, the aspect is south and south-east facing, attracting the morning sun but shaded in the peak heat of the afternoon. As the climate changes, this gives this already brilliant plot a greater advantage. Cool nights retain the finest aromatic qualities of these wines, as well as giving them a textbook backbone of acidity.
F.X. Pichler has shown its quality again in 2022 – these are the best wines you can buy from Austria this year.
