2009 F.X. Pichler Loibner Berg Riesling Smaragd
Full-bodied, dry, fleshy, round, and ripe, yet well balanced, with good underlying acidity. Very mineral, with apricot, peach, and apple notes. Lingering finish. Excellent. (Thanks to Lower Falls Wine in Newton, MA for the sample.)
2008 Salomon-Undhof Riesling Pfaffenberg Kremstal DAC
From 375 ml bottle.Herbal/peppery/floral nose. Medium-bodied, dry, focused; refreshing and very lightly juicy, with delicately crisp minerality. Tastes of green apples, starfruit, radish, and mint. Very good+.
2006 Salomon-Undhof Riesling Kremstal “Steinterrassen”
Leesy/spicy nose. Medium-bodied, lightly round, elegant, and nicely balanced, with good underlying acidity; cleanly mineral, with notes of citrus fruit, apples, and green herbs. Nice length.
Over the past couple of years, I have come to really like the Salomon wines, and am quite sad that Terry Theise is no longer importing them.
2006 Familie Prieler Chardonnay Ried Sinner Neusiedlersee-Hügelland
To an English speaker like myself, Sinner sounds like an odd name for a vineyard, but this is not an evil wine. Moderate in weight and acidity, nicely balanced, smooth and elegant, mineral, with citrus and tropical fruit, and floral notes. No oak here. Very nice.
2002 Nigl Riesling Trocken Kremstal “Privat”
Tremendous nose of banana nut bread, honey, dill, roast pork, and peaches and cream. Full-bodied, round, creamy, with good underlying acidity; ripe, yet nicely balanced. Tastes of apricots, pineapples, apples, minerals, fennel, green tea, and honeyed nuts. Really nice length and depth. There’s a definite sense of breeding and finesse here.
Note: The latest (2009)Terry Theise catalog says that the Riesling Privat usually is sourced from Senftenberger Pellingen (not Piri), so I’ll assume that this vintage was no exception, unless anyone has information to the contrary.