2005 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Kellerberg

When Mr. Pichler wears a relaxed smile at the official vintage tasting in August, one can expect great things. "I have long ceased to fret during the extended harvest period," Pichler explained. "Things always turn out differently than expected anyway. It is only important to make the best wines possible; anything else is not interesting." Through the years, "F.X." has rarely produced much Steinfeder- or Federspiel-level wine, preferring large-caliber wines sourced from late-harvested fruit. By all evidence, his son Lucas has inherited his father's talent and adopted a nearly identical style. The 2005 series here is magnificent and, as always, unique, with the best wines walking a fine line between genius and eccentric. A new wine, the Riesling Smaragd Hollerin, from a vineyard of the same name, has replaced the Terrassen Smaragd. Pichler was able to purchase this vineyard, which he previously had leased, and thus now uses a single-vineyard designation on the label. For the first time since the 2000, there is a 2005 riesling named Unendlich (infinite). Unfortunately, this moniker describes the wine's finish rather than the number of available bottles.