2016 Riesling Ried Rothenberg Wachau Pichler-Krutzler

From an especially stony sector of the Loibenberg, this leads with smoke and quarry dust allied to zesty lemon and piquantly pit-tinged white peach. The feel is silken and the wine's subtle sweetness underscores its fruity ripeness on a lusciously, soothingly lingering finish, albeit one that, for now at least, lacks the clarity or complexity featured in the best wines of this formidable Pichler-Krutzler collection. (The 2015 installment of this wine was labeled "Reserve" not due to having been deemed superior, but rather as a means of calling attention to its subtly tasteable 15 grams of residual sugar. This year's rendition harbors even a bit more, but Pichler and Krutzler elected to dispense with the word "Reserve.") 2018 - 2025.