Rudi Pichler Roter Veltliner Smaragd 2024

One of Pichler's rarest bottlings, just 800 bottles, and the only wine in his cellar where a touch of botrytis is deliberately permitted. Grown on Danubian gravels with a loess cover in Mautern, it opens with ripe white and redcurrant, a trace of blossom honey, and a faint dried-fruit lift that hints at the botrytis influence. On the palate, the texture is the story: lush, almost viscous, yet it carries itself with surprising composure. A bitter almond edge and a phenolic frame give structure to what might otherwise feel opulent, and the finish lands dry and clean. Distinctive and worth seeking out.