Destined to have been bottled in July, Alzinger 2010 Riesling Smaragd Steinertal takes the smoky, stony, pepper and tobacco themes familiar from this great site in what, for this vintage, is a surprisingly tropical direction, papaya, grapefruit, and tart pineapple lusciously expansive yet brightly invigorating. Vintage typical pungent green herbal essences add to the intensity of an almost riotous finish. The coming decade should regularly reward any who hold bottles of this beauty, and may well bring focus and organization to its flavors such that with hindsight one will conclude that its true nature was not yet evident – or at any rate barely glimpsed – in June of 2011.The Alzingers didn’t begin harvesting until the third week of October in 2010 and continued until November 18. Riesling Federspiel alone was de-acidified (as must). Leo Alzinger senior confirmed the judgment of other Wachau veterans that there was no known precedent for the combination of high acidity; sugar; and extract with genuine phenolic ripeness and next to no botrytis. (Somehow I missed out, incidentally, on tasting this year’s Liebenberg Riesling Smaragd.)Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300