2020 Rudi Pichler Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Terrassen Wachau Austria 750 ml

Rudi Pichler is one of the top names in the Wachau, Austria’s most famous region for immaculately powerful yet precise white wines. He’s won the coveted Winery of the Year award from Falstaff—the Austrian equivalent of Wine Spectator—and his 2020 Smaragd Terrassen Grüner stands tall with the absolute greatest years he’s bottled.

It’s one of the truly elite white wines of the world, capable of going toe-to-toe with bottles from Burgundy or Alsace that are three times its price—especially in the stellar 2020 vintage, when a cool growing season imbued the wine with stellar structure and cut.

We’re stocking up because this wine is absolutely stunning now, but also will blossom in the cellar. Smaragd is the most prestigious designation accorded to Grüner Veltliner in the Wachau, reserved only for wines with exceptional power and concentration. Smaragd wines also have a long track record of showing breathtaking development with age.

Pichler has some of the best holdings in the Wachau because they've been in the region since 1731. Its steep, terraced vineyards overlook the majestic Danube River—and in the glass, the wines evoke this dramatic landscape. 

It was impossible to stop grinning once we stuck our noses into the glass. There’s a riot of aromas, headlined by green apples, fennel, white nectarine, and Grüner’s trademark peppery-herb mixture. The palate continues that kaleidoscopic swirl—all with a perfect balance of richness and acidity, creating a powerful tension that invites one sip after another.

It’s easy to see why our whole wine team is eager to put a case in our cellars. Unfortunately, while the quality might be high, Pichler’s production remains minute—and most of his wine remains in Austria.