Bodenstein’s 2007 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Zwerithaler comes from another site planted with old vines of diverse clonal origin and condition. “You can’t really call it a vineyard,” he says, “more like a hospital ward!” Persimmon, beet root, brown spices, and white pepper run all the way through this darkly-hued, bone dry (1.5 gram residual sugar) Veltliner. Smoky notes and subtle but insistent fruit skin tartness invigorate, and a palpable sense of extract puts an impressive, stony floor beneath the flavors, leading to a long, pepper and crushed stone dusted finish. I suspect this will be worth hanging on to for 6-8 years at least. This was one of our most expensive and laborious harvests ever, says Toni Bodenstein, adding that if the mere two bottlings he does of Federspiel had not this year represented a full 50% of his production, the attention and selectivity necessary for the quality of all the other wines would not have been possible. Bodenstein notes that he didn’t risk long skin contact this year, as he did not want to risk losing tartaric acidity to precipitation.Importer: Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700

Pale green-yellow. Gooseberry jelly, redcurrant, yellow apple and discreet honey and green hazelnut on the nose. Full-bodied and juicy, with elegant ripe papaya and grapefruit in the mouth. Smoky flint lingers on the finish. Offers excellent potential for further development. Drink through 2017.