With the 2005 vintage, Southern Oregon vintner Stephen Reustle became the first U.S. winery to grow and bottle this Austria white grape, and he pays tribute to the green lizard – the smaragd which inhabit that country’s Wachau Valley. In the Austrian wine industry, smaragd also denotes that the highest ripeness level of Grüner Veltliner grapes, and the resulting wine must attain an alcohol by volume of 12.5. That’s not a problem for Reustle’s clone 01 crop. Fascinating aromas of dried pineapple, apricot, alyssum and jicama lead to balanced flavors of nectarine and Asian pear. A touch of roundness on the midpalate hints at the 10% barrel fermentation and keeps this from leaning toward nerdiness while the slaty finish adds texture.
Rating: Outstanding!
Production: 434 cases
Alcohol: 12.8%
Leave a Reply