A strikingly musky and sweet floral perfume announces the 2007 Riesling Alte Reben from the Gaisberg. Lime and kiwi fruit present a juicier, sappier impression than in the other two Gobelsburg grand cru Rieslings of this vintage, and the expression of phenolic material and minerality here is more subtle, less sizzling, with a strongly saline, savory, shellfish-like undertone and a shimmering clarity and interplay of fruit and mineral nuances. Sleek and refined by the standards of the vintage; striking in its combination of ripeness and concentration with lift and elegance; and seemingly more profound and elusively mineral with each return sip, this should pay dividends over at least a ten year period. Michael Moosbrugger did not begin his main white wine harvest – even for lighter-weight Gruner Veltliner – until mid-October. Unlike most Krems area growers he also picked nobly sweet wine, based on a late bloom of botrytis. Moosbrugger seems to have achieved some (considering the weather) surprisingly successful reds in 2007, having painstakingly cut off half of each cluster to inhibit the development of rot, then harvested prior to any of his whites. (I’ll report on those reds after I have re-tasted them from bottle. For notes on two outstanding 2006 vintage reds which have since lived up to their promise in bottle, consult my report in issue 177.)Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300