[Sorry it took me a week to post these notes, Emily]

Last Tuesday, two young Austrian winemakers (imported by afw's own
winemonger) Johann Donnabaum and Franz-Josef Gritsch stopped in at a
wine bar in SF (VinoVenue) for a tasting of their wines. They both make
wine in the lovely town of Spitz in the Wachau. By design or
coincidence, Johann tasted 3 Grüner Veltliners of differing
concentration and age, whereas Franz-Josef tasted three wines from the
2003 vintage, each made from a different grape. The two young men were
great spokesmen for their country and industry and just happened to have
some very nice wine, too! ;-)

2004 Kalmuck
color: pale yellow, almost colorless
nose: floral entry, followed by pepper and minerals
palate: light-to-medium body, moderately fruity with a slightly tart finish

This wine is a collaboration of the two and was described by Johann as
being an attempt to demonstrate the potential of Grüner Veltliner from
the Wachau. It has not yet been released, so I don't know the price,
but I expect that it'll be priced in the $10-15 range and intended for
early consumption.

2002 Donnabaum Loibnergarten Grüner Veltliner Smaragd
c: golden yellow
n: pepper, apricot and honey
p: rich, deep, honey, clean finish

What a contrast to the Kalmuck! I am continually amazed at the number
of Austrian winemakers who managed to produce first-class wine during
the deluge of 2002. This is yet another example and a very impressive
wine. I asked Johann how long he thought one should keep this wine, and
he replied that it could keep easily for 10 years, though I doubt that
we will have the self-control to keep any that long. This is a wine
that would go splendidly with spicy Asian fare.

2001 Donnabaum Grüner Veltliner Spitzer Point Reserve ($25)
c: deep gold
n: toasty, pepper, slightly hot
p: rich entry, apricot, melon, honey, crisp finish

Wow! As much as I liked the Smaragd, this wine was even more
impressive. It had complexity, balance and length with potential for
improvement with age. Jean, OTOH, detected a hint of oxidation in this
wine which she finds very offputting (reason#1 in why most white wines
aren't aged very long in our household).

2003 Gritsch Grüner Veltliner Axpoint Federspiel ($10)
c: greenish yellow
n: minerals, flowers and apple
p: medium body, creamy, light apple fruit

A very light example of GV (which is what Federspiel is all about), but
also a bit atypical based on our previous experiences with Grüner
Veltliner. A pleasant wine that showed no flabbiness from the heat of '03.

2003 Gritsch Riesling Eimerberg Smaragd ($25)
c: pale yellow
n: citrus, peaches, floral
p: crisp entry, mineral and citrus notes

Not likely to be confused with a German (or an Alsatian) Riesling, this
wine has more in common with the Rieslings of NZ and Oregon. This was
Jean's favorite wine of the evening. It exhibited lovely citrusy
character and would make a great complement to a variety of fish dishes.

2003 Gritsch Neuberger Select Eimerberg ($19)
c: pale yellow
n: floral, minerals
p: off-dry, pineapple

A simpler wine than the two preceeding it, and made from a grape I knew
nothing about. Hilarious bilingual discussion with Franz-Josef ensued,
in which I tried to ascertain what Neuberger's near relations might be.
In the end, F-J (I think) said that it's a relative of Chardonnay. A
little post-tasting research turns up that Neuberger = Sylvaner x
Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), which may or may not mean the same thing ;-)

All in all, a very enjoyable tasting with two delightful characters
(three, if one includes their traveling companion Johannes Thiery of the
Hotel Schloss Dürnstein, a well-reputed at an interesting venue
(VinoVenue dispenses wine from argon-atmosphere cabinets -- you buy a
card that you insert into the cabinet to get your wine) Many thanks to
Emily (winemonger) for the tip.

Mark Lipton