F.X. Pichler presents its first red wine

The sites

Wachauer Pinot Noir comes from five different sites in total, all of which are situated on the left bank of the Danube. F.X. Pichler farms across 0.55 hectares, cultivating Pinot Noir exclusively from small-berried clones, all selected from Burgundy. “The choice of a blend is not a compromise, but a concept,” says Lucas Pichler of his decision to blend Pinot Noir from across these sites. Vines were grafted over in the Loibner Rothenhof, Loibner Burgstall and Dürnsteiner Liebenberg vineyards. In the Loibner Mühlpoint and part of the Dürnsteiner Liebenberg vineyard, the ‘Dijon clones’ 777 and 115 and two very old selections from Burgundy were replanted in 2020 and 2025. In Weissenkirchner Seiberberg, Pichler can draw on vines planted as far back as 2005, which he buys from a winemaker friend and harvests himself.

Harvest and vinification

The Pinot Noir harvest took place at relatively long intervals between the different vineyards. The grapes in Loiben and Dürnstein ripened 10–14 days earlier than those in Weissenkirchen. The grapes were harvested by hand into small crates with a maximum capacity of 20 kg and cooled overnight in a refrigerated container to around 6°C.

The lower third of the 500-litre fermentation boxes was filled with whole bunches, upon which destemmed and sorted berries were layered and covered with dry ice. The fruit macerated for five to six days at around 8–10°C, after which spontaneous fermentation began.

Since the 2025 vintage, fermentation has taken place in 500-litre French double barriques, previously used for Grüner Veltliner ‘Unendlich’. For this purpose, the wooden base of the barriques has been replaced with a stainless-steel one.

There is no pumping over, as this would introduce too much fruit into the wine. Lucas Pichler prefers gentle punch-downs (pigéage), initially by hand and then, a few days before pressing, by foot, which gives the wine more texture and phenolics. Fermentation takes around 14 days. The conscious decision in favour of pigéage rather than rémontage is key. It results in a different texture, more complex structure and a subtler extraction.

Wachauer Pinot Noir

The 2022 and 2023 vintages will go on sale in September 2026. The wine will be labelled ‘Wachauer Pinot Noir’, as Pinot Noir is only permitted at the regional wine level under the Wachau DAC regulations. In total, there will be just under 2,000 to 2,200 bottles of these wines, and a small number of magnums will also go on sale.

‘Wachauer Pinot Noir’ is rather austere and delicate, not overly assertive, with a moderate alcohol content of around 12.5% ABV. It impresses with its unique structure and elegance, whilst the fruit is rather restrained. Stylistically, the wine is strongly inspired by Burgundy and will only reveal its true potential after ageing.