2004 Gruner Veltliner Loibner Klostersatz Federspiel

For several recent years, F.X. had relegated Federspiel to only a single offering, but he says there is demand again now (whether in response to taste or affordability he doesn’t say) and I am all for more wines with the versatility and price/quality rapport of his 2004 Gruner Veltliner Klostersatz. Aromas of sweet pea, oregano and nutmeg lead to a juicy, amply ripe, yet still snappy and delicate (despite 12.5% alcohol) palate. A sweetly suggestive peach, melon and sweet pea matrix is beautifully accented with nutmeg and white pepper. The finish is long and juicy, pungent but proportionally so and without bitterness. This is an excellent value, the more amazing for being from one of Austria’s ostensibly “cult” wineries. Incidentally, the quality of these two Pichler Gruner Veltliner Federspiel wines, as well of their Riesling Smaragd Oberhauser, is improbable also on account of coming not from terraced hillsides, but from virtually level sandy and gravelly sites right along the Danube. Importer: Weygandt-Metzler Importing, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800