Gru-Vee Grüner Veltliners

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90 points
Freie Weingärtner Wachau - Domäne Wachau 2006 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Terrassen

The 2006 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Terrassen is scented with ripe honeydew melon, cress, and lily. In the mouth this is lively and refreshing for the vintage and the Smaragd category, reflecting its origin largely in high-elevation terraces above Weissenkirchen. Yellow plum and melon are tinged with herbs, inner-mouth floral notes, and hints of white pepper. The texture is silken, and the finish is juicy, satisfying, and billowing. Very few 2006 Smaragd bottlings from any winery are this seamlessly ripe yet light on their feet. When one considers that there are well more than 30,000 bottles of this fine value, it's quite an accomplishment. Enjoy this any time over the next five years. $28

90 points
Ludwig Hiedler 2006 Grüner Veltliner Thal

Riesling-like scents of lime and tangerine zest rise from the 2006 Grüner Veltliner Thal, which hits the palate with all the frisky citrusness that this description suggests. And yet, there is a subtle suggestion of creaminess here, too. One certainly notes fullness from the 14.1% alcohol, but not only is this wine free of heat, it's full of energy and refreshment. The finish is smoky and pungent, with green tea, blond tobacco, bittersweet citrus oils and Sichuan pepper pungency. This should be worth following for at least six to eight years. $28

91 points
Nigl 2006 Grüner Veltliner Senftenberger Piri

Nigl's 2006 Grüner Veltliner Senftenberger Piri—harvested Oct. 10 and with 13% alcohol—smells of iris, snap pea, rhubarb, and tobacco. With more smoky pungency and depth of flavor than Nigl's Freiheit bottling, this also displays a honey-glazed richness while preserving an admirable sense of clarity. The striking finish here seems more a reflection of the site, with saline, crushed stone suggestions, apricot kernel bitterness, and smoldering, peppery pungency. This well-structured wine should be worth cellaring for 8 to 10 years. $30

92 points
Franz Hirtzberger 2006 Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Rotes Tor

With classic aromas of lemon, flowers, and lentil, the 2006 Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Rotes Tor explodes on the palate with juicy, refreshing citrus, surprising red raspberry, floral inner-mouth perfume, and a hint of honeyed richness that does not detract from true Federspiel character. Herb and lentil low tones in the finish keep this exuberant, multidimensional wine firmly in the grüner veltliner vein. As in so many vintages—but especially in 2006—would that there were more Federspiel bottlings of this quality. It should drink well for at least a half-dozen years. $30

92 points
F.X. Pichler 2006 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Von den Terrassen

Snap pea, clover, and a whiff of smoke in the nose of the 2006 Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Von den Terrassen introduce an exceedingly ripe, opulent, yet not at all warm palate, with rhubarb, beet, and a hint of coffee joining the snap pea, pungently accented by smoke and pepper. This wears its 14% alcohol effortlessly and offers plenty of sheer refreshment to go with its richness. I would not be afraid to follow it for 8 to 10 years. $49

92 points
Nikolaihof 2006 Grüner Veltliner Hefeabzug

Already with the estate's 2006 Grüner Veltliner Hefeabzug—and even though the quality of this light, low-alcohol, practically "entry level" wine is frequently amazing—one knows that something special is happening in the context of the latest vintage. This boasts a rare combination of clarity, flavor diversity, and delicacy, and ripe flavors with low alcohol. Raw almond, lentil, cress, sage, riesling-like white peach, grapefruit, and clover inform a wine of polished, silken texture, and alluring inflections. This finishes from ear to ear, thirst-quenching yet thought-provoking, with subtly bitter suggestions of garden greens—and the thought it most provokes is, "Is nobody else capable of imitating this?" Tasted again, this excellent value was even less resistible than it had been last summer. Precisely for that reason, there is little chance it will be cellared, but it will remain a joy to drink even three or four years after bottling. $28

Wines rated from 96-100 are extraordinary; 90-95, excellent; 80-89, above average to very good.

Robert Parker is the world's most influential wine critic. Visit www.eRobertParker.com to see tens of thousands of tasting notes, buy his books, or subscribe to his newsletter, The Wine Advocate.