F.X. Pichler Riesling Smaragd Unendlich 2016

Sourced from Kellerberg and Höhereck alongside the estate's usual Loibenberg fruit, a blend Lucas Pichler notes included roughly 10 percent shriveled but botrytis-free grapes, lending extra concentration. The nose is heady and opulent: ripe pear, peach and apricot wound together with wisteria and an undercurrent of smoky, ore-like minerality. On the palate, that richness never tips into heaviness, a bright pit-fruit piquancy provides sharp counterpoint to the lush texture, keeping everything focused. The finish billows with floral perfume and lingers with a glowing, saline-edged intensity, stopping well short of bitterness or heat.