Even with relatively late harvest such as conditions in 2010 virtually dictated, the wines had all finished fermenting by Christmas, which is standard behavior in this cellar. Harvested already in mid October, Schmid’s 2010 Gruner Veltliner Satzen (from loess and gravel soils near the winery in Stratzing) still boasts 12% natural alcohol, and abundant, juicy, melony fruit. This polished and persistent performance gains in refreshment and stimulation from cucumber and cress; enjoy it over the next couple of years. I last met with Schmid in order to taste his 2007s (on which I reported in issue 181), and my visit this June confirms him as a source of some seriously delicious and well-priced wines. He opened for me a few of his 2009s as well as his most recent collection. Schmid claims to have had only one-third of a normal crop in 2010 from his 40 acres (which are spread over some 50 parcels). “Some of my old vines didn’t even have any crop on them this year,” he notes.A Monika Caha Selection, New York, NY; tel. (212) 877-3558 with various importers, including Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700