F.X. Pichler is one of the most celebrated names in the Wachau, a small estate based in Oberloiben now run by Lucas Pichler, who has carried his father's exacting standards into a new generation. The winery farms a collection of steep, terraced vineyards along the Danube, many of them centuries old, and built its reputation on capturing the exact character of each individual site rather than smoothing wines into a single house style.

Ried Steinertal sits at the easternmost edge of the Wachau, wedged between the Loibenberg and Pfaffenberg vineyards. Its old name, "Steingraben," or stone trench, describes the site's shape: a narrow rift that widens into an amphitheater as it descends toward Unterloiben. Cool nighttime air draining down from the neighboring forest makes this the slowest-ripening, coolest site among the Loiben vineyards, and the soil, pure lime-free Gföhler gneiss with almost no topsoil left, gives the wines a distinctive clarity and mineral drive. Bottled at the ripe, concentrated Smaragd level (the top tier of the Wachau's three-tier ripeness classification), this Grüner Veltliner is rich and bold yet lifted by vibrant acidity, with the site's signature white pepper spice and a streak of lychee running through it.

Why You'll Love It

• From one of the Wachau's most celebrated estates and one of its most distinctive single vineyards
• Grown on pure gneiss bedrock in the coolest, slowest-ripening corner of the Loiben vineyards
• Rich, bold Smaragd-level Grüner Veltliner with vibrant acidity and real mineral drive
• Signature white pepper spice and lychee character, backed by real cellaring potential

How To Serve It

• Serve at 50 to 55°F
• No decanting needed
• Pour into all-purpose stems
• Pair with roasted halibut, schnitzel, or dishes built around white pepper and citrus
• Drink now through 2034