F.X. Pichler Riesling Dornsteiner Ried Kellerberg - 2023 (750ml)

Riesling...exudes exotic aromas, with mango, passion fruit, pineapple over ripe yellow peach. The striking mineral characters derive from battered and barren weathered soils.

The Kellerberg is an internationally critically acclaimed vineyard site par excellence. This vineyard has steep inclines and barren bedrock terraces. It faces due south to south-east and forms an outlet of a tributary valley with an exceptional microclimate. The Dürnsteiner Kellerberg is blessed with early morning sunshine, with much of the site profiting from much-needed shade from the early afternoon rays during the summer months. The latter has a huge benefit on drawing out the ripening of the grapes. At night, cool air currents from the surrounding woodlands help to retain aromatic freshness and provide complex texture and finely nuanced minerality, with tropical and seductive aromas. In autumn, diurnal temperature differences between warm days and cool nights are a significant factor during maturation process and ensure that the grapes retain their aromas.

The Kellerberg is made up of Gföhler gneiss, a metamorphic bedrock formed from a granite-like parent rock (plutonite). Due to its southeast orientation, this prized vineyard site was historically protected from prevailing winds during the Ice Ages, resulting in deeper pockets of fine loess sediment. Erosion on the slope has naturally allowed the Ice Age sediment to integrate with Gföhler gneiss deposits, thus giving the Kellerberg its rich and bold wine styles.

100 points James Suckling

The devil isn’t in the details but in the very center of the peaches and mangoes. Amazing freshness, vitality and finesse on the superfocused, medium-bodied palate. What makes this stand out is the incredibly stony finish, a touch austere for some, but who can resist the ultimate in minerality? From organically grown grapes. Vegan. Drinkable now but best from 2026. - November 2024

98-100 points Falstaff

Light yellow-green with a silver sheen. Subtle notes of orange zest, a hint of tangerine, fine yellow tropical fruit, a bit of peach, a floral touch, a hint of candied lime. Complex, juicy, elegant, white fruit nuances, a lovely finesse to the acidity, lingers for minutes, a fine sweetness on the finish, already very seductive, in an elegant style, great ageing potential. - Peter Moser

(95-97) points Vinous Media

The 2023 Riesling Kellerberg has immense and fragrant freshness, almost of Seville orange and distinct notions of crushed citrus foliage. The palate is taut and has lots of tension but shimmers with tangerine peel amidst all this brightness. The 2023 is lovely, tense, fine-boned and concentrated. It's a stony, brilliant Riesling in a pool of shimmering citrus notes. (Bone-dry) - Anne Krebiehl MW on November 2023