While Brundlmayer did not bottle a corresponding 2006 or 2007 - feeling that their quality did not merit a single vineyard showcasing of this grape - his 2008 St. Laurent Ladner (not bottled until shortly before I tasted it this June) nicely displays the deep, dark-cherry fruit with brown spice and smoky accents for all of which this child of Pinot Noir is known. What's more, there is a juicy exuberance here - extending through an invigoratingly pungent finish - that surely presages at least another 3-4 years of pleasure. Hints of red meat emerge as this opens, though less-so than usual. What tannin one notices simply adds a tactile dimension to the wine's stimulating personality. Incidentally, Brundlmayer has begun bottling this and his Zweigelt with a screwcap, stating that he deems this mode of closure appropriate to the fruity style of its cepage. Despite the relatively short crop in 2010, Brundlmayer notes that volumes were not inordinately impacted at the upper level of his portfolio, and that he expects as usual, if not more so, to take time with the release of the top Gruner Veltliner. (Brundlmayer is also among the very few Austrian growers to - largely for the benefit of his foreign customers - re-release selected wines after they have had a number of years in bottle; and he releases virtually no reds until they have enjoyed significant bottle age.) For now though, 2010 seems to be a collection that reflects its vintage's challenges and in which Riesling from the Heiligenstein is clearly the star. Brundlmayer's 2009s - the whites, at least - are more uniformly excellent. (He won-t begin showing me 2009 reds until next June.) What's more, some sort of miracle, the like of which I have never before witnessed at this address, seems to have taken place under the auspices of noble rot (and those sweet 2009s should come our way in the next year or two). The high quality and fascination of Brundlmayer's diverse sparkling cuvees is worth once again noting, even if I have omitted publishing detailed notes and small-lot designations for what are always officially non-vintage wines. It's also worth singling-out an all"2007 cuvee of Pinot and Chardonnay with a bit of Gruner Veltliner that was bottled Extra Brut "-though believe, me," notes Brundlmayer, "we try-out nearly every sort of dosage and were surprised that this performed better without" - a wine whose combination of herbal, vegetal, nutty, and mineral tones offers subtly delicious -food- for thought.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

Talk about your late Brundlmayer releases, one lot of his 2004 St. Laurent Ladner was only bottled around the end of 2010 and is now in the U.S. market. At 12.5% alcohol, it evinces a sense of levity that some tasters will find especially appealing in a red. Nut husk and tomato foliage bitterness as well as tobacco and black tea smokiness tinge black fruits in the nose and on a firm, faintly astringent, but admirably persistent palate. I would plan on drinking this within the next couple of years. (A 2003 Cabernet Franc also late-released and in U.S. markets now, while fascinatingly roasted meat- and tobacco-flavored, betrayed hints of tomato foliage for all of its alcoholic amplitude, and too much of its vintage's desiccated fruit side and drying tannins to be entirely convincing.) Despite the relatively short crop in 2010, Brundlmayer notes that volumes were not inordinately impacted at the upper level of his portfolio, and that he expects as usual, if not more so, to take time with the release of the top Gruner Veltliner. (Brundlmayer is also among the very few Austrian growers to - largely for the benefit of his foreign customers - re-release selected wines after they have had a number of years in bottle; and he releases virtually no reds until they have enjoyed significant bottle age.) For now though, 2010 seems to be a collection that reflects its vintage's challenges and in which Riesling from the Heiligenstein is clearly the star. Brundlmayer's 2009s - the whites, at least - are more uniformly excellent. (He won-t begin showing me 2009 reds until next June.) What's more, some sort of miracle, the like of which I have never before witnessed at this address, seems to have taken place under the auspices of noble rot (and those sweet 2009s should come our way in the next year or two). The high quality and fascination of Brundlmayer's diverse sparkling cuvees is worth once again noting, even if I have omitted publishing detailed notes and small-lot designations for what are always officially non-vintage wines. It's also worth singling-out an all"2007 cuvee of Pinot and Chardonnay with a bit of Gruner Veltliner that was bottled Extra Brut "-though believe, me," notes Brundlmayer, "we try-out nearly every sort of dosage and were surprised that this performed better without" - a wine whose combination of herbal, vegetal, nutty, and mineral tones offers subtly delicious -food- for thought.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

Rich wine from a ripe year, offering intense red plum and cranberry flavors layered with toast and a velvet texture. It’s soft and fruity, finishing fresh.——R.V.(8/1/2008)—— 88

The 2002 St. Laurent Ladner is from a variety that flourishes only in Austria. The Brundlmayers’ oldest red wine is a 1950 St. Laurent, from a time when local growers predicted that this variety would soon die out, so this family has been nurturing St. Laurent long enough to know their way, as well as to have had the last laugh. Sweet red cherry and wood smoke aromas draw you into the glass of this 2002, and your palate is rewarded by a velvety saturation of red fruit, mysterious smokiness, and invigorating salinity. A touch of extraneous astringency cuts into the otherwise fruit-filled finish, but that may be attributed to the wine’s having been bottled the week I visited. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300