Pineapple, rhubarb, and sweet pea dominate the nose and palate of Schmid’s 2007 Gruner Veltliner Gebling Reserve. Quite full and glossy (at 14% alcohol), with an impressive sense of glycerin and extract sweetness, and with low-toned notes of coffee and smoke emerging in the finish (along with a hint of heat), this was not harvested until November 7, and matured in tank. I would relish it for its voluminous richness over the next 2-3 years, but it may well surprise me and outlast that. Josef Schmid – son of the eponymous Schmid for whom the winery is named – did not score quite the number of successes this year that had come to my attention from 2006. But visiting with him made clear the passion with which he is pursuing quality, and which is resulting in some excellent values. Nearly all of the 2007s here were rather tight and reductive last summer, so they may well all benefit short term from time in bottle.Importer: Weygandt-Metzler Importing, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800