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

Sage, sugar snap peas, caramelized parsnip and rhubarb soar from the glass of Schmid’s 2006 Gruner Veltliner Gebling (also a Priorissa bottling). Rich and generous on the palate with a lovely yet suspicious degree of caramelization and hint of vanilla, it turns out that 20% of this was vinified in barrique. Yet, unlike most such cases with this variety, here it doesn’t get in the way. The palate impression is lush and enveloping, yet the fruit is still clear and refreshing, the sweetness neither gummy nor superfluous. Toasted nuts and caramelized parsnips inform a luscious finish. While I did not have occasion yet to meet Josef Schmid, the samples that came my way were, to say the least, impressive. The 2006s canvassed below are no flukes: Schmid’s 2005s were also hugely successful, although for reasons of space and the context of this report, I have not published those notes.Importing, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 932-9113