Alzinger’s Rieslings this year are even more exciting. Leo Alzinger Junior said he had hoped to pick his 2006 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Muhlpoint a week earlier but the flavors were not ripe enough, so the result sits right on the edge of Smaragd. Effusively floral, this retains a cool, fresh-fruited, herbal and saline mineral streak as well as genuine delicacy for all of its analytic ripeness. A touch of bitterness extends the finish while supplying a sense of cut. The most exciting collection I have thus far tasted at this address – like a number of those in the Wachau – departs from the script that was written very early, touting 2006 as a “Gruner Veltliner vintage.”Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300