The 2004 Gruner Veltliner Der Wein Vom Stein is the latest installment of what is always Neumayer’s richest Gruner Veltliner, from various sites but always including high elevation, conglomerate soils. This year’s smells of sugar snap peas and sassafras, along with a distinct whiff of crushed stone. Both juicy and soothingly silky on the palate, this medium-weight Gruner Veltliner features black currant, toasted walnut and herbs in a Sauvignon-like display. The finish here is equally long and deeper than that of its predecessors, featuring distinctly wet stone and pungently peppery notes. Neumayer, located in the little known Traisental south of Krems, has been one of my personal favorite sources for Austrian wine, so it is a pleasure to report that he now has an American importer. Importer: Weygandt-Metzler Importing, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800