Moosbrugger’s arguably misleadingly-named 2010 Gruner Veltliner Domaene Gobelsburg is his calling card from purchased fruit in many markets (including Canadian markets; though not in the U.S. where the so-called Gobelsburger prevails) and represents beginning this year a distinct blend incorporating – unlike the Gobelsburger bottling – fruit from beyond the confines of the Kamptal. Green bean and artichoke are featured in this wine that lusciously combines stuffing and surface polish with citric refreshment and at least a faint bite in its finish typical for its grape. A subtle nuttiness and hint of caramel also emerge, lending some richness. I would plan to drink this over the next 12-18 months, though it might well surprise me in the event that any remaining bottles turn up later. Michael Moosbrugger pointed out to me this June that those who wait until the second half of November to harvest – by which time he tries always to have finished most of his picking – nearly always incur additional concentration of acidity through frost, which then requires compensatory additional hang time to soften. And 2010 flirted with frost already in October, although luckily the weather cooperated through most of November. High acids were dealt with in the estate wines – where deemed necessary – by permitting some lots to undergo malo-lactic transformation. It’s hard to believe in retrospect how rapidly after taking over Schloss Gobelsburg in 1996, Moosbrugger – with several initial years of collaboration by Willi Brundlmayer – brought this ancient monastic estate to the forefront of Austrian viticulture. But some of the things he claims to have only properly appreciated in very recent years and says will have a profound influence on future wines sound deceptively simple. In the matter of yields, for example, Moosbrugger opines that it took a while to acquire and genuinely appreciate the insight “not to have too many bunches of grapes, but also not too few. In 2006, for instance, we probably had too few. With a few more clusters per vine, the wines are intensive enough, and the alcohol isn’t too elevated.” It’s hard to argue in the face of the balance and expressiveness Moosbrugger has achieved in such dramatically different and distinctively difficult vintages as 2009 and 2010. He is, incidentally, no partisan of entirely organic viticulture, believing in particular that for combating peronospora (downy mildew) certain synthetic systemic and topical treatments are both more effective and environmentally superior to a default use of copper sulfate.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300
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