WTN: 2000 F.X. Pichler Riesling Smaragd Loibner Oberhauser

Wachau, Austria
Trocken
13% alcohol
Medium gold color with clarity. This wine, labeled as a dry wine, almost tastes sweet like ripe nectarines. A little fruit cocktail in the mix too--like a combination of pear and Maraschino cherries and grapes. Tastes rich and mature. Possibly close to oxidizing? Gives a bit of a tingle on the underside of the tongue. Long finish. I liked this with breaded fish filet and with chicken in asparagus sauce over the weekend. Wish I had more Pichler or Nigl on hand.

[David M. Bueker]

The 2000 vintage is on a very fast maturing track. I am actually surprised your bottle showed so well.

Wish I had more Pichler or Nigl on hand.

There can never be enough Pichler in a cellar.

That sounds excellent (then again his Smaragds usually are!). Re. the oxidation/maturation - had the '00 Kellerberg Riesling Smaragd a few months ago and it was a stunning wine. Explosive aromatics, amazing intensity and depth although that also felt surprisingly mature with a lot of developed and perfectly integrated flavours. If you've got any, drink em.

That sounds excellent...

Really? I thought the fruit cocktail part sounded suspicious. Or maybe that is because I associate fruit cocktail with tinned flavors and Jane may not have meant that.

Well, when you're talking about nectarines, cherries, pear, grapes and mature flavours - it doesn't sound like a bad combination. (And then again, the few times I've had fruit cocktail it wasn't from a can.)

Besides, it's FX Pichler. When we're talking Pichler Smaragds, nothing sounds suspicious (at least for someone who's gotten hooked onto those wines, unfortunately for my bank account... I can almost feel my wallet screaming after that offer from Crush today on 07 Kellerberg).

[David M. Bueker]

Really? I thought the fruit cocktail part sounded suspicious. Or maybe that is because I associate fruit cocktail with tinned flavors and Jane may not have meant that.

Rahsaan - Michael Broadbent uses "fruit cocktail" as his typical descriptor for Riesling from the Nahe.

Ok, I see what you guys are saying.

But for me when some rich white wines start aging too much and losing grip they get the tinned qualities, which sounded like it could be happening from these notes.

Obviously I was wrong.

But for me when some rich white wines start aging too much and losing grip they get the tinned qualities, which sounded like it could be happening from these notes.

While that could happen, I don't think that's a risk with Pichler's wines. I've had a couple of Kellerberg Rieslings with a little age on them - had the '99 Smaragd a few weeks back, and it was absolutely stunning - immense, powerful and beautifully balanced with tons of fruit and mineral, but no sign of any tinned character and gave the impression it had years ahead.

As David said the 00s seem to be a little more advanced than other years - but the FX Pichler wines from what I've had so far seem to have the balance to age really beautifully across most vintages (I've only found his 06s a little too ripe and big - but the 07s I've had so far are truly, truly spectacular.)

Rahsaan, in this case I wasn't getting the tinned taste of fruit cocktail but I have encountered that in some less than stellar wines. I guess I should specify that it was the fruit combination rather than the tinny note that prompted my comparison.

Ok ok. I guess this just highlights the personal nature of tasting note descriptors.

For whatever reason (most likely the horrid concoctions I was forced to eat during church lunches as a child) I think of fruit cocktail as a factory-made tinned product.

I guess others of you have eaten fresher versions!

Regardless, I am glad the wine was tasty.