Rudi Pichler Riesling Achleiten Smaragd 2022

Flint and smoke lift off the glass first, giving way to focused citrus and a stony precision that defines this wine from start to finish. Achleiten's character is all over it, lean, translucent, with fruit that fills out the mid-palate before the granite-like mineral frame reasserts itself. There's an almost weightless quality here, the wine feeling lifted and pure while remaining firmly anchored to its terroir. Bone-dry, with a finish that's more about stone than fruit. Compelling Wachau Riesling at its most exacting.