WTN: He's getting so good at this!

[Jenise]

2004 Nigl "Gelber Muskateller"
Kremstal, Austria, $20

Poured my husband and myself a glass yesterday to sit out and enjoy one of the most perfect warm and breezy summer afternoons possible along with a wedge of Humboldt Fog and a fistful of fennel flatbread.

Bob, being poured blind as always, was immediately impressed. "OOH! That's zingy. Refreshing! Reisling? No, complex enough but not sweet enough," then his eyes narrowed. "Is this one of those Austrians?"

Indeed. And what an Austrian! Palest white-yellow color. Smells of lime blossom and minerals, tastes of wet rocks with a squeeze of meyer lemon. And these descriptors don't do it justice, it's more complex than that but I don't know how to describe it. No wood, bone dry, and the fruit's assertive but not big. There's a tendency to think it's a lighter wine, but the flavors coat the mouth and when you hold it up to the light, you can see oily layers of viscosity. A brilliant wine--I don't know how it could be better. A rare A+ of a thing, that upon finishing left us in a stupor of sadness, for I don't have another bottle.

[David M. Bueker]

I love Austrian Muskateller. Too little comes to the USA. There's a 2005 from Brundlmayer I think, but also worth checking out (I ordered half a case) is the 2005 Muskateller Kabinett Trocken from Kurt Darting in the Pfalz region of Germany. It should hit these shores around September/October.

What a nice note! Thanks. I love Muskateller from Germany and Austria. I recently reported on a lovely Messmer. The best examples can be delightfully pungently mineral. Which is always nice.

Wow. This sounds really nice, Jenise. Yet another wine to hunt for!

Very nice note, Jenise. Thanks very much.

[Jenise]

I love Austrian Muskateller. Too little comes to the USA. There's a 2005 from Brundlmayer I think, but also worth checking out (I ordered half a case) is the 2005 Muskateller Kabinett Trocken from Kurt Darting in the Pfalz region of Germany. It should hit these shores around September/October.

David, I already called my wine procurer and told him to look for both the Brundlmayer and the Darting. This was really superb--the Austrian wines are so incredibly full-flavored and yet precise that, as Bob's guessing illustrates, the Austrian-ness shines through even when one is unfamiliar with the grape.

Not that I would plan to hold these as they're perfect as-is right now (that is, if I had more bottles), but what's the aging profile on these like? Oh, and what does 'Gelber' refer to, is that a vineyard?

[David M. Bueker]

these as they're perfect as-is right now (that is, if I had more bottles), but what's the aging profile on these like? Oh, and what does 'Gelber' refer to, is that a vineyard?

These are "drink me now" wines. I almost never hold a bottle of dry Muskateller for more than 2 years after release. But they are so delicious young that it's not a problem.

Gelber Muskateller is "yellow Muscat" (?) instead of the less noble Muscat Ottonel (so says Terry Theise), but basically yes, it's "Muscat." As gor what Gelber actually means...you got me. How about "yummy."

As David says, as good as they are young Muskateller is not a grape that ages well. My current German and Austrian drinking philosophy is to drink Muskateller immediately, Scheurebe around age 2-7, Gruner around age 10-15, and Riesling when my patience gives out.

[Jenise]

As David says, as good as they are young Muskateller is not a grape that ages well.

Well, this is just as well. They're so good that if one WANTED to age them, it would take an inhuman amount of discipline to keep one's little paws off them.

I must learn to age my gruners. I just bought some for that purpose, and I have in last year been sampling my 99 Alzingers (ready, amazing) and Nigls (not quite ready), but that's as close as I've gotten to having aged gruner. The Alzinger definitely hinted at what's possible, though.

[David M. Bueker]

Some of the 1995 Gruner Veltliners are just gorgeous right now. Brundlmayer's 1995 Alte Reben is sublime, while the Salomon and Nigl 1995s are just wonderful as well.

Ooh, SFJoe opened the '95 Brundlmayer at a dinner 2 years ago and sublime is the right word for it.

... also worth checking out (I ordered half a case) is the 2005 Muskateller Kabinett Trocken from Kurt Darting in the Pfalz region of Germany.

I tried this at the winery a few weeks ago, and loved it. Almost like an Alsacian Muscat in style - yum!

This type of Muscat is also grown in the Alto Adige, under both the German name and the Italian one (Moscato Giallo). I drink a lot of them; the combination of exotic spicey/floral/apricot aromas and flavors with very bright acidity is just the thing as an aperitif.

Apparently not all Muscat types taste good when fermented dry, but this one certainly does.

Ramey in CA just made one, too.