Under-ripe yellow plum, olive, and lettuces inform a relatively soft but polished and sappy palate in the very late-harvested Stadt Krems’ 2010 Gruner Veltliner Weinzierlberg, an example of its vintage that clearly displays the effects of de-acidification, but nonetheless evinces considerable refreshment and persistence. I would plan to drink it over the next couple of years. Fritz Miesbauer lost roughly half his crop to 2010 weather and a large underground section of his relatively new winery collapsed due to unidentified structural defect. Was there any good news? Yes: Thank goodness, it happened in the middle of the night on a Sunday when nobody was on the premises; and the wines turned out well! Picking here and at the sister winery Stift Gottweig began in the second week of October, but went all the way up until November 19. The lighter wines were de-acidified in the must, but with his top Gruner Veltliner Miesbauer utilized extended pre-fermentative skin contact to drop the acidity (even though this gets to tartaric acid only, not at malic). “To be honest,” says Miesbauer, “I didn’t think at the time of harvest that the wines this year would be capable of what the best of them now show.” Miesbauer was also a bit nervous about some of his wines fermenting through February, which is late for his estates.Importer: Winebow, Montvale, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620

A mineral, textured wine, peppery and tightly wrought with distinct acidity over the green fruits and vivid acidity. The wine is full, but powered by acidity to keep it crisp. ——R.V.(12/31/2010)—— 91