Poller believes that a loess site such as that which informs his 2010 Gruner Veltliner Galgenberg offers the purest expression of the cepage itself. Lentil and sweet pea; grapefruit and blood orange inform a juicy palate that’s subtly creamy even as it is vintage-typically bright. Hints of cress and pungent herbs add invigoration to the lusciously satisfying finish of a wine that should give great pleasure over the next 3-4 years. Erwin Poller is as dedicated to his vines as any grower I have ever met, and he could chock viticulture and get rich quick by selling his proven technique for (as he puts it) “power sleeping.” The astute and dedicated assistance in recent vintages of young Florian Schuhmann (whose own venture with Poller’s assistance, Quantum Winery, is discussed separately in this report) has no doubt helped to further hone the already high quality of the Pollerhof’s wide and distinctively delicious range. (Incidentally, Poller’s $10-12 liter Gruner Veltliner typically offers one of the most incredible wine values in all Austria. But he and I met this year in the Wachau to save me travel time; and he neglected to bring along a sample of that particular 2010 to our session. The same goes for his Riesling Konigsberg.)Bill Mayer Age of Riesling Selections Imported by Valley View Wine Sales, Glen Ellen, CA; tel. (510) 549 2444; also a Monika Caha Selection, New York, NY; tel. (212) 877-3558 with various importers, including Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700

The 2007 Gruner Veltliner Galgenberg fills the nose with lentil, fresh lime, and pungent herbs. Subtly creamy yet (at only 12% alcohol) quite light, this displays a juicy, generous palate and a refreshing, unusually citric finish. Enjoy it over the next couple of years. The 2005 version of this wine, by the way, was on of the finest light-weight Gruner Veltliner of its vintage. Among countless small family estates in a plethora of wine villages along the Czech border, that of ambitious Erwin Poller stands out for both quality and value. His liter bottling of Gruner Veltliner represented a truly amazing value in both the 2005 and 2006 vintages, but I did not have chance to sample the 2007. I did however sample almost the entire rest of Poller’s impressive 2007 collection (with him absent).Importer Bill Mayer Age of Riesling Selections, imported by Valley View Wine Sales, Glen Ellen, CA; tel (510) 549 2444