Neumayer's 2006 Gruner Veltliner Zwirch offers an interesting set of aromas and flavors: rhubarb, coffee, fresh lemon, and diverse herbs. Glossy and silken-textured, this finishes with the sort of decisive grip that the Rafesetzen lacked, with a stony, chalky, smoky tobacco-tinged, (Sichuan-)peppery ending that's not austere thanks to a persistence of luscious if slightly tart fruit. Unlike Rafesetzen, Neumayer points out, the soil structure and water retention in Zwirch leave it in little danger of ever losing its crisp definition, cut, and refreshment value. This should be fun to follow for at least 5-7 years. Neumayer reports that a warm wind blew through the Traisental in the last days of September, after which he began picking on October 3; just over a month later, he was finished. I have been an enthusiastic proponent of the Sauvignon experiments of Neumayer and a number of Danubian growers, but it is impossible to overlook the fact that - in U.S. dollars, at least - excellent Sancerre can still be had for not much more than half the price of the Giess, and that with the Stein, we are in Dagueneau territory. Austrian Sauvignon outside of Styria may still count as an exotic, but if the wine is excellent, its price tends to be set with the high tariff that applies to single-vineyard Styrian Sauvignon in mind.Importer: Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700