The sweetly ripely and subtly flower-scented Knoll 2010 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Schutt exhibits a crystalline as well as crushed stone sense of tactile mineral impingement playing against a rich background of pear, kiwi, and snap pea. Texturally polished and expansive, it nonetheless harnesses its acidity like a fleet-footed Riesling. Saline, iodine-tinged shrimp shell reduction lends saliva inducement and fruit pip piquancy invigoration to a soaring finish as transparent to nuances as it is vibrantly interactive. I would anticipate close to two decades’ worth of excitement from this beauty. “Warmth and wind at the end of October gave Smaragd the extra push, especially for Gruner Veltliner,” notes Emmerich Knoll Senior, and his estate did not begin picking that category until the first week in November. “Up until then, it pretty much counted as settled that we wouldn’t bottle a 2010 Vinothek in either Riesling or Gruner Veltliner, which in fact we did. But I can’t recall when the Smaragd ever had acid levels identical to the Federspiel as happened this year. Not that I’m unhappy about this,” he adds with a laugh. “There have been and will be quite a few vintages in which we would be happy for some of 2010’s acidity.” A portion of the Riesling Federspiel crop was de-acidified as must. Total production was only around half of what Knoll considers normal. None of the Smaragd – collectively, almost unbelievably, representing the heart of one of the finest Knoll collections in memory – was not due to have been bottled until late this summer.Importer: Circo Vino Besenville, IL; tel. (417) 732 4200