2017 F.X. Pichler Riesling Unendlich- Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau (11/12/2019)
At the FKALBTG monthly blind wine dinner, but since we were the hosts, it was not blind to me. Two tastes - first when poured and then later retasted out of the bottle after about 60-90 minutes of air. Initially, it was a great, balanced, floral on the nose and tropical fruit melange, better than other dry Rieslings but not otherworldly. The second taste, when Gary decided we should check back in towards the end, WAS an epiphany, it was a massive cascade of fruits and flowers all rolled into one. The fruit palate included definable apricot, pineapple, Granny Smith apple, guava and a few others in a perfectly cut presentation with laser sharpness but without searing acidity. The flowers on the nose were like honeysuckle with a mixture of other light flower components. Nothing strong and overpowering, like a flowering rose. We drank this in a flight of two with the 2017 Pichler Riesling Smaragd Ried Kellerberg, no slouch by itself and ordinarily a great experience, but compared to the Unendlich, it was like drinking Blue Nun.
Candidate for WOTY and probably Dry White Wine of the Decade. Maybe “only” second to the Jadot Le Montrachet at the Heritage Finals the first year in Vegas. Maybe I should say 98 points, but after all, it was just white wine. (97 pts.)
The 2015 unendlich is a contender for WOTY for me. I’ve been lucky enough to have it twice this year. These wines will undoubtedly age like bricks - but they are so good young that I would drink rather than hold. F’ing love the Mozart queen of the night label as well - such a departure from the rest of their lineup.
I have been drinking FX Pichler for over 20 years. Awesome producer. The Unendlich I often find a bit over done (extended hang time) relative to their other Smaragd wines. For me the Kellerberg is their best offering.
You may wish to seek out a bottle of their Gruner Veltliner M. It’s the gruner version of the Unendlich.
Here’s a description of the wine from their site:
“M” stands for “monumental” and serves to signify our Grüner Veltliner Smaragd® of exceptional complexity and concentration. The first gruner to be awarded this honor, because it presented itself like a landmark, or simply a monument, was one of the 1991 vintage. The grapes for “M” are usually harvested two to three weeks after the fruit for the vineyard-designated wines. Depending on the vintage and growing season, the major portion of “M” is usually sourced from Loibnerberg terraces and a selection of the best fruit from several premium sites. “M” is always a mystical wine, exhibiting opulence and concise minerality.
Bummed to miss this wine/the dinner Jay. Though next time I’m in NYC I’ll have to open the '07 Kellerberg for you. Love Kellerberg, but generally my experience with that has been it needs a bit more time to show its cards (whereas I’ve had bottles of Unendlich that are mindblowing on release.)
I bought two bottles of the F.X. Pichler Gruner Veltliner M based solely on the reputation. I found it to be over-the-top and extracted to a level that was really off-putting. The one bottle of Unendlich that I have had was definitely memorable but for me Keller’s Abts E® was the wine that outshined it and was half the price (I really miss those days).