Resting in tank, but essentially ready for bottling, was Hiedler’s 2005 Gruner Veltliner Thal Novemberlese, which underwent batonnage until May and had just been filtered prior to bottling when I tasted it. Lemon, orange, white peach, and brown spice aromas suggest Riesling. More Gruner Veltliner-typical sweet pea and root vegetables join in on the rich, satisfyingly leesy, subtly vanilla creme palate. A full-throated finish incorporates peach pit, caramelized root vegetables, spices, pepper, aromatic herbs, and mysterious mineral elements. This superbly rich Gruner Veltliner has acidity so low (a mere five grams per liter) as to seem downright deficient on paper, yet it displays lilt, minerality, brightness, and clarity. Indeed, the wine – which kept growing in the glass – is completely in a class by itself among Hiedler’s 2005s. If this is how the wine tastes immediately after filtration, imagine how good it may prove to be once bottled and rested! Also recommended: 2005 Riesling Loiser Berg ($24.00; 85), 2004 Riesling Steinhaus ($33.00; 85+), 2005 Weissburgunder Spiegel (not available; 86).Ludwig Hiedler – now that he has a spacious new cellar – is working to see how many chemical and mechanical accretions of modernity he can strip away. Spontaneous fermentation, no supplemental enzymes and no added sulfur to the must will, he has come to believe, make for wines much more expressive and distinctive, even if they are then slower to open in the spring and may mature a bit (“but only a bit”) sooner. This approach is a reaction to what Hiedler sees as standardization of wine as well as an attempt to bring cellar practices into harmony with his herbicide- and pesticide-free ideals in the vineyard. “And there’s a third reason,” he adds. “I’m looking for excitement. There’s always excitement in the vineyard, and I want some of that inside the cellar as well.” His new approach is having an immediate effect in lower alcohol, Hiedler surmises, on account of less efficient conversions by natural yeasts. Wines are finishing with as much as three-quarters of a degree less alcohol, he claims, than they would previously have done with the identical must weights.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

This is not the first year in which Hiedler “regular” Gruner Veltliner Thal was harvested in November – in this case mid-November – but he still continued his practice of labeling the year’s second picking 2004 Gruner Veltliner Thal Novemberlese. In this wine, aromas of grapefruit, tobacco, and rhubarb lead into a creamy, almost custard-like rich palate that preserves a faint, prickly sharpness of acids and pungent notes of white pepper. The finish of pepper and crushed stone minerality displays strikingly tactile persistence, but also a hint of bitterness. This lay in one of Hiedler’s numerous mature Acacia (as opposed to oak) casks, and while my note is from bottle, half of the same lot will be bottled in fall. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

The 2000 Gruner Veltliner Thal Novemberlese was produced from a botrytis-free harvest conducted in early November. It offers smoky mineral aromas. This medium-bodied and oily-textured wine possesses beautiful depth, richness, and breadth. Its thick, supple personality is reminiscent of a pulp-laden spicy pear. Drink it over the next 6 years.. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Martin Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

White pepper and loads of spices can be found in the aromatics of the 1999 Gruner Veltliner Novemberlese. This fat, lush wine is medium-bodied, broad, intense, and packed with satiny pears and apples. This lively, concentrated, fruit-filled beauty should be drunk over the next 6 years. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Martin Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300