At The Height of His Powers
2015 Prager Riesling Achleiten Smaragd & Wachstum Bodenstein Smaragd

Posted by Joe Salamone

This is our first 2015 Austrian offer and we decided to go for one of the top collections of the vintage.

Every year, Prager's precision, finesse and mineral cut place him among our favorite wines in all of Austria.

Still, the 2015s are special. Many years from now, it's easy to see this as being one of Prager's great vintages. And this is from a domaine that's turned out plenty of compelling collections.

Today, we're very happy to offer Prager's two top Rieslings, the 2015 Riesling Achleiten and Riesling Wachstum Bodenstein.

We've been hunting down Prager's 2015s for the past couple of months. It amounts to a fairly modest parcel. I'm mentioning this from the outset, because this is a lineup that you shouldn't sleep on.

The 2015 vintage in Austria produced shimmering, pure wines with layered fruit and firm, vibrant and detailed mineral cores. It's a really beautiful combination and it's easy to see why people are already calling 2015 one of the top vintages of the past decade.

Within this strong vintage, it's clear that 2015 favored producers like Prager that chase finesse and lift more than power. Both the Achleitin and Wachstum Bodenstein drive home just how harmonious, nimble and complex the 2015s can be.

Achleiten is one of Austria's "Grand Crus," and Prager's Toni Bodenstein is the master of the site. Achleiten is prized for its mineral intensity and delineated length. If you're looking for a Wachau site that screams terroir, it's Achleiten - especially Prager’s version where the site assumes a staining, pure and delineated mineral presence.

Prager's Toni Bodenstein planted Wachstum Bodenstein, a high-altitude section of the Hinterseiber vineyard, in 1990. Wachstum Bodenstein is perched at an altitude of about 1,500 feet (between 440-460 meters). Many people doubted that the vineyard would be able to fully ripen Riesling. The years have proven that Bodenstein made a very wise choice. In 2015, the site is at its absolute best.

We have very high expectations for Prager and still the 2015s impress us as being extraordinary. Hitting this level of balance, concentration and clarity is something that happens very rarely. Don't miss.

To order, reply to offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.

Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer

Crush Wine & Spirits

2015 Prager Riesling Achleiten & Bodenstein