From tank, the 2010 Gruner Veltliner Maximum – which, as usual, unites fruit from geologically diverse sites – delivers the sort of low-toned and profound flavors I associate with this cuvee. Beet root, burley tobacco, and nut oils gain prickly pungency from resinous herbal and subtly botrytis inflections, making for an overall impression that’s invigorating, even as it is rich. Hiedler estimates it at 14% alcohol and 5-6 grams sugar. (I did not have a chance to check a finished analysis.) I don’t think this will ever achieve the elegance or interplay of the corresponding “November” bottling, but assuming that a bitter aspect of botrytis doesn’t become prominent – or even raise its head short-term – I suspect it will reward at least 6-8 years of attention, and foresee it developing a flatteringly caramel patina. Ludwig Hiedler – whose overall account of vintage 2010 can be found leading-off my introduction to this report – notes that “given such a small crop, ripeness wasn’t that bad once you got into October; and we started picking relatively early so as not to risk further crop loss and so as to avoid botrytis. All that was left to pick in November was the Heiligenstein and Maximum Riesling; Weissburgunder and Chardonnay; and the Kittmannsberg (Gruner Veltliner),” that last a good thing, since Hiedler has for years bottled its fruits under the name “November Harvest” (recently shortened to “November”)! Hiedler has taken an increasingly passive and leisurely approach to fermentation and elevage – as described in my introductions to his 2005 and 2006 collections in issues 160 and 177, where further details on the sites he farms will also be found. His wines tend to undergo malo-lactic transformation as a matter of course, not to mention enjoy long lees contact, and thus his approach to ameliorating 2010’s high acidity was already a foregone conclusion.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300
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