Velich’s 2005 Welschriesling Trockenbeerenauslese displays the subtle sweetness and palate density that characterize his relatively high-alcohol house style. This wine has also benefitted from its long stay on the lees, enhancing its creamy texture and complexity of toasted grains and nuts. Candied citrus rind, musk, brown spice, and smoky black tea inflections lead to a concentrate of pineapple and apricot preserves that make for penetratingly persistent complexity. Expect a reward for ten or a dozen years of cellaring. Heinz Velich (whose brother and former partner is the force behind the wines of Moric, about which see elsewhere in this report) produces Austria’s most distinguished Chardonnay (from vines his father planted believing they were Pinot Blanc) as well as some of the country’s finest nobly sweet wines. His wines are marked among other things by long stays in barrel and low-sulfur, resulting in a style Velich considers but closer to tradition and (especially when it comes to nobly sweet elixirs) more interesting from a culinary standpoint than the more reductive approach favored by most of his fellow Neusiedlersee vintners.Importer: Winemonger, Los Angeles, CA; www.winemonger.com

Still in cask, like its BA counterpart, the 2004 Welschriesling Trockenbeerenauslese displays remarkable clarity and brightness of fruit to go along with viscous, jammy essences. There is a fine spiciness as well as creamy texture and a long, evocative finish of peach, pineapple, honey, and nut oils. Time will tell whether it is a greater wine than the BA, but it is indeed superb.Importer pending.

The 2002 Welschriesling Trockenbeerenauslese smells of ethereal botrytism and pure honey with candied pineapple and brown sugar, then comes onto the palate supercharged and viscous, bearing an incredible 400 gram load of residual sugar. How does it balance? Resin, malt, and honey mark the long intense finish. In viscosity and intensity – though not in its particular set of flavors – this is like a Tokaji Essencia. Importer pending.