Wine from Austria

Vinous, 97 points: Bottled in June 2016, this texturally silken, supremely elegant effort transparently and kaleidoscopically combines moss, wet stone, gentian, buddleia, coriander, pepper, piquant yet rich nut oils and a saline clam broth...

Vinous, 95 points: The nose here fascinates in a distinctively Nikolaihof manner. Elusive suggestions of moss and lichen on wet stone, mothball and salt spray, along with herbal and floral essences introduce a palate performance that adds...

jamessuckling.com, 93 points: At once powerful and rather sleek for the warm vintage, this grüner veltliner has a ton of structure and herbal complexity with just a hint of oak. Green-pepper note at the long finish. From biodynamically grown grapes...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 96 points: Pichler's 2013 Riesling Smaragd Weissenkirchner Achleithen combines its deep and spicy minerality with intense (almost dried) apple aromas on the nose. On the palate this rich, full-bodied and tightly woven Riesling is a...

jamessuckling.com, 100 points: An amazingly concentrated dry riesling that somehow manages to be extraordinarily light-footed. There's a super-wide spectrum of aromas from parsley through lemon grass, with ripe white peach, mandarin orange and white...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 95 points: This type of Prager's 2013 Riesling Smaragd Klaus is allied to the Achleiten, although cooler, spicier and purer, less fruit-driven. Rich, juicy and piquant on the palate, this full-bodied and well-concentrated wine...

jamessuckling.com, 96 points: Even richer wine than the 2016 riesling Smaragd from the great Klaus site. Sleek for 14% alcohol with enormous depth and concentration, but also a minty note and great candied lemon and mineral freshness at the long...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 94 points: The 2015 Riesling Smaragd Wachstum Bodenstein is from the Seiberberg (420 to 460 meters) that was planted in 1990 with a high variability of Riesling plants. Picked very late (late October), this Riesling displays great...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 94 points: The 2015 Riesling Smaragd Achleiten displays a pure and mineral bouquet of crushed stones and white-peach aromas. Intense and fruity on the palate, with good concentration and densely woven texture, this is a piquant and...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 91 points: Though harvested around the end of September and in the context of a concerted effort to achieve moderate alcohol, at 12.5% the Pichler 2012 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Klostersatz is on the border of what would when that...

Wine Enthusiast, 93 points: Distinct botrytis notes of dried apricot and musk for now dominate the nose while the primary fruit still sleeps in this dry, still-closed wine. The palate is sleek and flowing, while the backbone of acidity sits upright...

Vinous, 94 points: (93-94 points) Whereas its 2012 predecessor was bottled in April 2015, this 2013 was still several weeks out from bottling when I last tasted it in June 2016. The combination of richness with juiciness and levity, as well...

Vinous, 94 points: On the nose come intimations of crushed stone that, along with smoky, ore-like undertones and a sweet-saline, iodine-laced savor akin to shrimp-shell reduction and oyster liquor, lend intrigue to the luscious fruitiness...

Wine Spectator, 93 points: A rich, focused white, with pure, lush flavors of apple, Asian pear and gooseberry accented by engaging notes of salted almond. Lemon cream and spice details linger on the ripe, rich finish. Refined and alluring. Drink...

Wine Enthusiast, 92 points: A panoply of pear notes: the freshly cut peel of Conference, the juicy flesh of Bartlett, the scented fruitfulness of Comice. These full-fruited notes dominate nose and palate beautifully and are deftly framed with zesty...