KREMSER WACHTBERG GRUNER VELTLINER - 2005

Gruner Veltliner or "Gru-Vee" is Austria's white varietal that usually exhibits floral and spicy characteristics. If you haven't tried this varietal before and are a fan of zesty, complex whites, this is worth your while.

TASTING NOTES:

Light peachy-yellow color with apple-pear and floral notes on the nose. Loads of frizzante (bubbles) emerge on the first pour and gradually disappear. Citrus and mouth-popping acidity are intertwined with flavors of plum, nectarine, and peach. There is an unusual emergence of pastry dough on finish when this wine begins to open up.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

90 PTS

A dynamic, complex white for $14? Sold! This is an excellent white wine. I highly recommend finding yourself a bottle. The wine has 13% alcohol and also came with a handful of glass-like crystal shards at the bottom, but don't worry. These are harmless tartrate crystals. The wine clearly went through "cold stabilization," a process to remove sediment so that the wine takes on a better appearance.