97 Pts Peter Moser - International Wine Cellar

"Medium green-yellow. Knockout nose combines juicy, fully ripe pineapple, grapefruit zest and a hint of blood orange backed by the typical Achleiten dark wet slate and smoky flint. The palate offers great riesling fireworks, with a brilliant and vibrant display of acidity framing the tightly wound yet already complex flavors of pineapple, peach, mandarin orange and lemongrass. A true riesling grand cru with abundant raw, salty minerality on the palate-saturating finish. This compellingly refreshing wine will offer great pleasure for many years to come. Drink 2012 to 2027." 97 Points - Peter Moser from Stephen Tanzer's IWC

"Vibrant, intense and minerally, with a deep, rich core of baked pear, cream and apricot flavors that are balanced by golden raisin and ruby grapefruit notes. The chiseled finish is filled with plenty of powerful smoky notes. Drink now through 2018. 300 cases made." 95 Points - Wine Spectator

"The Pichler 2007 Riesling Smaragd Achleiten is voluminous, subtly oily in texture, and generously ripe despite only 13.3% alcohol. It also displays the brightness, clarity and vivacity that characterize the best of this vintage. Peach, lime, tangerine, bitter-sweet cassis and huckleberry and a greenhouse-like sense of foliage and flowers combine for a superbly concentrated, virtually sizzling display that reflects both the subtle desiccation that affected these grapes in 2007 and the inevitably somewhat mysterious but unmistakable mineral character of this site that seems to shimmer through folds of fruit much like the gneiss striations of the vineyard itself. Plan to follow this for at least 6-8 years." -93 points- David Schildknecht- Wine Advocate

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"Rudi Pichler, Jr. took over the family estate in 1997 and since then has convincingly demonstrated that he belongs in the top rank of Wachau winegrowers. Whether in difficult vintages like 2000 and 2003, or near-perfect ones like 1997 and 1999, Pichler’s wines always show a finely poised depth and remarkable individuality of character. He’s achieved this by not being afraid to take risks in the vineyards or in the cellar. Pichler rejected enological school, and opted instead for hands-on training, most notably with Josef Jamek in the neighboring village of Joching. He furthered his education by tasting wines from around the world: "I learned winemaking by winetasting," Pichler says."

"He is one of the few producers in the Wachau who favors macerating his white wine grapes with the skins: He believes it increases the expression of terroir and brings better structure and harmony to the wine. After destemming and pressing, the juice is left on the skins, up to 12 hours for Federspiel and 16 hours for Smaragd. "Skin contact is a very important part of my vinification," says Pichler, "because the skin is like the fingerprint of the terroir of the vineyard and the vine." He eschews sulfur during this process, using only a blanket of carbon dioxide to prevent oxidation. "Sulfites level the character of the grape and the soil, and also destroy the fine differences of the aromas," Pichler says. Pichler is fanatic about making wines that express terroir." -Importer

See this wine on Cellar Tracker here: http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=603966