Riesling Smaragd Kellerberg
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2035
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
pan-seared sea bass, roasted pork belly, Wiener Schnitzel
✨ Technical Specifications
The Riesling Smaragd Kellerberg from F.X. Pichler is a monumental expression of one of the Wachau's most legendary vineyards. Situated in Dürnstein, the Kellerberg is a steep, south-facing amphitheater of ancient Gföhl gneiss. This weathered primary rock soil, combined with a unique microclimate of warm Pannonian air currents and cool night breezes from the Waldviertel, yields a Riesling of extraordinary tension and mineral depth. The 'Smaragd' designation—named after the emerald-green lizards that bask on the warm, dry-stone terraces—signifies the highest ripeness tier in the region. Pichler's meticulous hand-selection and traditional aging in large oak casks preserve the crystalline purity, vibrant stone fruit character, and smoky, saline minerality that define this iconic terroir.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1898 in Oberloiben, Weingut F.X. Pichler stands as one of the pinnacle estates of Austria's Wachau valley. Elevated to international legend status under Franz Xaver Pichler from 1971 onward, the domain is directed today by seventh-generation winemaker Lucas Pichler alongside his wife Johanna. The estate stewards approximately 20 hectares of vines, largely centered on precipitous, hand-carved dry-stone terraces of primary rock, weathered gneiss, amphibolite, and loess. Benefiting from the climatic tension between warm Pannonian airflows and cool Alpine drafts along the Danube, Pichler crafts monumental, dry white wines of chiselled mineral precision, depth, and longevity. The family shifted to certified organic viticulture and voluntarily departed the Vinea Wachau hierarchy to prioritize terroir-driven Wachau DAC site typicity. Its benchmark portfolio includes single-vineyard expressions from Ried Kellerberg, Loibenberg, and Steinertal, alongside the cult cuvées 'M' and the transcendent 'Unendlich'.
🍇 Grapes
Riesling
🍷 ABV
13-14%