2017 Prager Grüner Veltliner Hinter Der Burg Federspiel Wachau Austria 750 ml

A White You Just Have to Taste...

Calling all lovers of spicy Sauvignon Blanc, mineral-bright Muscadet, or bone-dry, rich and complex Riesling—this Grüner Veltiner is for you. Really, if you love wine, no matter what your preference, this is a bottle you have to taste.

Prager is a producer of some of the wine world’s most complex and ethereal white wines, and a name that should be fully on your radar. Don’t just take our word for it—Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate has declared their bright, Austrian whites, “world-class wines,” and “true classics of which we will still sing in 20 or 30 years.”

The story of today’s $30, medium-bodied, crisp and layered 2017 Prager white wine began centuries ago, on the banks of the Danube. Along steep slopes interrupted by thick stands of trees, Grüner Veltliner vines criss-cross the hillsides, navigating through thick, sedimentary soils to bring Prager’s motto “Vom Stein zum Wein” or “from rock to wine” to life. The statement is literally exemplified in this 2017 Prager Grüner Veltliner, which comes from the “Hinter Der Burg” vineyard where ancient Danube river stones are scattered among the rows rich in organic nutrients, on southeast-facing slopes.

The resulting wine is a crowd-pleasing white that vividly captures the sense of that place, as the unique terroir comes soaring through in the wine’s dense, rocky minerality and notes of star fruit, candied ginger, and pineapple, hinting at white pepper.

Wine Spectator was so taken, they dubbed winemaker Toni Bodenstein the “Émile Zola” of Austria in an article that begins: “To say that Toni Bodenstein of Weingut Prager in Austria's Wachau district is passionate about viticulture would be an understatement. He's possessed—and one of his nation's most inspired winemakers.”

And Vinous put it simply: “Toni Bodenstein elevated the stature of his father-in-law Franz Prager’s estate to international notoriety with wines that consistently continue to be among the most complex, intriguing and subtle of any of the world’s Rieslings or Grüner Veltliners.”

We have yet to try a white from Prager that doesn’t wow us with its impressive balance of power, tension, zesty vibrancy, and spicy flavors and aromatics. This 2017 is no exception, showcasing a spectrum of flavors revealing citrus zest, star fruit, Asian pear, subtle fresh-picked tarragon, and rocky minerality supported by mouthwatering, zippy acidity.