2006 Gruner Veltliner Ried Loibenberg Smaragd

Herbal and green bean notes place the aroma of the 2006 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Loibenberg in a cooler context than most of its fellow 2006 Veltliner which, says Knoll, reflects cool autumn nights and this parcel’s exposure to wind. Winter pears and green beans dusted with white pepper on the palate lead to a finish that suggests some mysterious pungent minerals or ore. This displays more density but less clarity and generosity of fruit than the corresponding Schutt. Having finished picking the last day of October makes this by one measure among the earliest harvests on record here, “certainly,” says Knoll, “since the early nineties, anyway.” (In 2003, they began earlier but finished later.) While this year’s Federspiel bottlings were by Knoll’s admission “right on the border” of going over into legal Smaragd territory and required quick action during harvest, they nevertheless retain the requisite sense of lightness and refreshment. But if the harvest was relatively hurried, Knoll’s approach in the cellar was anything but, and none of his 2006 Smaragd had been bottled yet when I tasted them last summer. Importer: Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700