Weingut Hiedler Maximum Gruner Veltliner, Kamptal, Austria

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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

Like last year’s version, Hiedler’s 2005 Gruner Veltliner Maximum comes from Thal, Kittmannsberg (both loess), and Schenkenbichl (Gneiss). Where the Thal remained in tank, this wine now resides in large ovals, from which it won’t be bottled until December. Caramelized parsnip, overtly yeasty and ginger aromas give way to a more obviously soft in acid yet grainier and less flatteringly creamy palate than is possessed by the Thal Novemberlese. One can taste why Hiedler proposes to give this wine considerably more time in cask. Toasted grains, nut oils, and persistent yeastiness on the palate are more suggestive of white Burgundy than Gruner Veltliner. A long, low-toned finish features roasted root vegetable and toasted grain, with faint hints of smoke and pepper. Also recommended: 2005 Riesling Loiser Berg ($24.00; 85), 2004 Riesling Steinhaus ($33.00; 85+), 2005 Weissburgunder Spiegel (not available; 86).Ludwig Hiedler – now that he has a spacious new cellar – is working to see how many chemical and mechanical accretions of modernity he can strip away. Spontaneous fermentation, no supplemental enzymes and no added sulfur to the must will, he has come to believe, make for wines much more expressive and distinctive, even if they are then slower to open in the spring and may mature a bit (“but only a bit”) sooner. This approach is a reaction to what Hiedler sees as standardization of wine as well as an attempt to bring cellar practices into harmony with his herbicide- and pesticide-free ideals in the vineyard. “And there’s a third reason,” he adds. “I’m looking for excitement. There’s always excitement in the vineyard, and I want some of that inside the cellar as well.” His new approach is having an immediate effect in lower alcohol, Hiedler surmises, on account of less efficient conversions by natural yeasts. Wines are finishing with as much as three-quarters of a degree less alcohol, he claims, than they would previously have done with the identical must weights.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300