While the corresponding Steinterrassen bottling was a bit bitter and hard, Stadt Krems’ deeply green-gold 2010 Riesling Kogl Reserve projects pungently fragrant, piquant orange and kumquat mingled with black tea and brown spices; displays density but refreshment; and benefits from a hint of residual sugar to bring out the succulence and balance-out the bitterness in its satisfyingly persistent finish. There isn’t much clarity of flavor and given the pronounced phenolics I would be inclined to enjoy 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

From one of the steepest, stoniest portions of this vineyard – which the Stadt Krems was able to rent – their 2007 Riesling Kogl Reserve smells alluringly of linden flower, peach, and fresh lemon; displays an admirable elegance and delicacy with intensity of flavor and saline, stony nuances; and finishes long on smoke, salinity, crushed stone, and bitter-sweet peach and peach kernel. Now that we have this wine to supplement experiences with those of the Undhof, a picture of the Kogl as a great vineyard emerges. Follow this beauty for at least 4-5 years if possible to fill in more of that picture. Fritz Miesbauer and the winery of the city of Krems are going from strength to strength. Miesbauer had already recovered from a couple of hair-graying nights when I saw him for the second time last year in late June.Importer: Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700