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Wine Description
The Story
From extremely steep, southwesterly-exposed terraces with meagre soils of Gföhler gneiss, this mineral-driven and pure Grüner exemplifies the extraordinary quality of this site.
Yields are kept low between 30 and 35 hectoliters per hectare with botrytis carefully removed by hand. Grapes are crushed by foot and receive between three and 36 hours of maceration on the skins. Vinification is entirely in stainless-steel tanks and malolactic fermentation is avoided.
Achleithen, from “ach” meaning water path and “leiten” referring to the slope, is a terraced vineyard in Weißenkirchen sitting between 200 and 400 meters of elevation. Rudi Pichler’s parcel lies in the small section of Achleithen that faces west where weathered Gföler Gneiss dominates the upper terraces. Achleithen is one of the most famous vineyards in the Wachau and gives wines that are distinctly mineral.
Vineyard name: Ried Achleithen
Vineyard size: 55 acres
Soil composition: Gneiss and Rocky
Training method: Cane-pruned
Elevation: 726-1,188 feet
Vines/acre: 1,800
Yield/acre: 1.2-2.16 tons
Exposure: Southwestern
Year vineyard planted: 1970
Average Vine Age: 50+ years
WINEMAKING
Prefermentation technique: Cold soak
Time on its skins: 18 hours
Fermentation container: Stainless steel tanks
Length of alcoholic fermentation: 14 days
Fermentation temperature: 64-72 °F
Malolactic fermentation: no
Fining agent: Vegan
Type of aging container: Stainless steel tanks
Length of aging before bottling: 7 months
Length of bottle aging: 1 month