Lime, pumpkin and toasted nuts in the nose of the Gobelsburg 2006 Riesling Tradition ally themselves on the palate with briny, stony, alkaline mineral suggestions. While rather spare in texture and initially understated on the palate, this builds in the finish, adding notes of distilled pit fruits and the bitterness of their pits. This variation on Gaisberg Riesling is more interesting than alluring for now, but I would not want to miss a chance to chart its evolution in bottle over a 6-8 year period. (For more on the methods and intentions behind Moosbrugger’s “Tradition” wines, consult my reports in issues 160 and 177.) 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