WTN: 2007 Malat Grüner Veltliner Trockenbeerenauslese

[Salil]

Kamptal, Austria. 13.5% alcohol, under cork, from half bottle.

Deep golden colour with crazy, explosive aromatics of orange blossom, pepper, honey, mango, pineapple and a ton of other tropical fruits. The nose alone is worth the price of admission - but in the mouth it's pretty awesome as well with lots more sweet tropical fruits and mandarin orange drenched in honey and pepper and really good acidity underneath keeping the sweetness from ever feeling cloying. Finishes very long with just a touch of warmth on the back end.

[Ian Sutton]

Salil
It sounds great - a producer new to me (though I'm a million miles away from being an informed Austrian wine drinker). It seems complex enough and hence ready to go now - would you drink now rather than cellaring?
regards
Ian

[Salil]

Ian, the producer seems like a pretty under-the-radar one - not widely available in the US from what I've noticed (and I didn't see a lot of tasting notes online on Malat either).
As far as aging this - I'm sure it'll develop a bit more complexity with some more cellar-time (and certainly would be interesting to check back into it in several years) - but it's excellent as it is and I'd probably drink it young (although the couple of experiences I've had with slightly older Gruner give me the impression that these wines can really last and develop a long time).

[Bob Parsons Alberta]

Salil, have seen Malat here recently. Will check Board website.

[Tim York]

As far as aging this - I'm sure it'll develop a bit more complexity with some more cellar-time (and certainly would be interesting to check back into it in several years) - but it's excellent as it is and I'd probably drink it young (although the couple of experiences I've had with slightly older Gruner give me the impression that these wines can really last and develop a long time).

That's an interesting point. I don't think that I have ever had an Austrian Riesling or GV older than 5 or 6 years, but they were showing well at that point. Most seem delicious young. Do you have any experience of whether they can develop celestial transformation at 10+ years like the best German and Alsatian Riesling?

[Salil]

Tim,
This is from a dinner I'd attended where two people brought older Gruners from FX Pichler: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=24186

1997 F.X. Pichler Grüner Veltliner Smaragd 'M' - Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
A little muted compared to the Kellerberg (which was just an insane wine and would have overshadowed pretty much anything poured alongside); quiet aromatics with some white pepper, smoke, white fruits and green herbal notes on the nose. Spicy white fruits, beans, herbs and minerals on the palate with good acidity and a medium-long finish. Tasted the leftovers the next day (thanks Stephen!) and it seemed a lot more open and focused - seems to need a bit more time and patience. (93 pts.)
1995 F.X. Pichler Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Dürnsteiner Kellerberg - Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Pale golden yellow colour with an incredible explosive nose that soars from the glass with aromas of white fruits, beans, green herbs, smoke, honey and steel, unravelling even more with air to show elements of flowers, rocks and coffee - so much going on here that it's beyond description, and I could have happily kept smelling this through the evening if it didn't taste so great. Just insane on the palate with almost every flavour element you can possibly imagine in a wine; there's fruit, metal, spice, rock, herbal elements and crazy smoky/ashy notes that all combine seamlessly into a silky, glossy mouthfeel that retains laser focus and lift with a ton of acid and a very long finish. What a wine! (98 pts.)

I tasted the '97 the following morning and it was superb - the '95 Kellerberg on the other hand was one of the very top wines of the night for everyone at the dinner, and it's among the greatest wine experiences I've had yet. As good as any of the older German or Alsace experiences I've had.