The Malat 2007 Pinot Blanc Am Zaum represents a particularly light and delicate showing for this wine, with apple blossom aromas and a subtly salty, lemon- and hazelnut-cream palate. Salted apple, smoky nuttiness, and a hard-to-pin-down sense of minerality inform a quietly persistent finish. It will prove a lovely accompaniment to correspondingly delicate dishes over the coming year or two. Only the two lightest of Gerald and Michael Malat’s Gruner Veltliner were harvested in October, the rest in November. “We simply had to wait for things to dry out,” explains Gerald Malat, “and to me there is a clear difference between any of the wines harvested before and those harvested after the big rains. Those harvested long enough afterward are more multi-layered.” Among the most notable characteristics of this estate is the sheer number of grape varieties with which it often succeeds. But while Gruner Veltliner and Riesling here were notable in quality this year, intensely aromatic Muskateller and Sauvignon bottlings were too brusque and coarse to merit high recommendation. A sampling of Pinot Gris from barrel was promising but will need to be re-tasted for a proper appraisal. It is good to know that the wines of this estate may soon gain wider distribution in the U.S., but due to the recent change in importers, retail prices were not yet available for any of their 2007s.Importer: Winemonger, Los Angeles, CA; www.winemonger.com

A delightful (if not terribly complex) example of the diverse potential of what I consider to be Austria’s most unjustly neglected grape, Malat’s 2006 Pinot Blanc Am Zaum offers flavors and virtues that cannot be achieved with any other. Clover, apple, and green hazelnuts in the nose lead to a refreshing, delicate (at 12.5% alcohol) yet subtly creamy palate and a simply satisfying finish. Like many growers along the Danube, Gerard Malat began harvesting already in mid-September to insure some light-weight wines appropriate to summer, 2008 consumption, and finished at the end of October. From three sites in the Hohlgraben,Importers: Morandell Imports, Los Angeles, CA; tel. (310) 328-5010 and Rosalie Sendelbach Imports, New York, NY; tel. (212) 260-1870.

The 2004 Pinot Blanc Am Zaun, bottled early in spring and right off of its lees, offers a discreet aroma of apple and hazelnut. The palate impression here is polished and creamy, yet at the same time bright and refreshing. Ample appley fruit plus salty, nutty accents inform a generous, juicy finish. This may not be enormously complex, but not only is it extremely refined, charming and delicious, it also represents a rare and deft combination of the creamy and bright aspects inherent in this grape. Various importers including Morandell Imports, Los Angeles, CA; tel. (310) 328-5010 and Rosalie Sendelbach Imports, New York, NY; tel. (212) 260-1870