The 2007 Riesling Preussen comes from a choice parcel only just acquired by Wieninger, and I have not tasted it since bottling. Apple, ripe apricot, and a youthfully yeasty whiff rise from the glass. Bitter, cyanic notes of apple pit and apricot kernel, along with a strikingly alkaline, briny cast convey a slight sense of austerity to this unusually substantial Riesling, whose 14% alcohol does not in the least intrude on a piquant, finish of impressive tenacity. (Wieninger’s Nussberg Riesling was given extended time on the lees in an effort to promote self-expression, but was in an awkwardly youthful state early last year on the only occasion when I tasted it. His backward 2007 Riesling Rosengartl wore its sweetness – some of which it evidently carried into bottling – rather uncomfortably at the time when I tasted it from tank, so I must withhold further comment on that wine as well.) When Wieninger moves into the realm of white wines treated to malo-lactic fermentation and new wood, those aspects can be quite accentuated, and even his locally-celebrated Chardonnay Grand Select from the Bisamberg leaves me consistently unconvinced. His reds – confined to four bottlings, even though they represent one third of the estate’s production – are a different matter. Fritz Wieninger has been the prime dynamo behind whatever over-due recognition the wines of Vienna have garnered over the past decade, and I have been remiss in not visiting with him until last year – too early, unfortunately, to assess certain of the 2007s from his sprawling line-up of cuvees, so the selection below is limited wines that were bottled early, or that I had occasion to revisit. “We are warmer in Vienna than the Wachau or Kamptal,” Wieninger reminded me, “and we can’t wait to harvest our vineyards until November, unless of course we want 15 or 16% alcohol. We need lighter wines, and for that, we have to harvest much earlier – which is unfortunate at times, because aromas are significantly enhanced through later picking, a practice suited to our terroir.” Wieninger seems to have mastered the balancing act that corresponds to this paradox of optimal harvest dates. His lighter wines do not display any unripe flavors.Importer: Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700