Hiedler Grüner Veltliner Maximum

Thursday Throwdown (Empire State South) : Wow. This was news to me. I have zero experience with this producer and this was a revelation. Thanks Mike. And see Mike's note from January 2019. He nails it.

Honeysuckle, river slate, apricots and fresh vines dance a merry jig together, it is the essence of spring in a glass, and at this point it seems as if it will be eternally youthful and fresh. Magnificent. Even better than the wine was that I was able to share it with Terry Theise, who has meant so much to my evolution as a wine geek.

Showing the golden color and botrytis that typifies this vintage, with ripe apricot, a little nuttiness, and a hint of grassiness and flowers, it is rich and seems a little sweet but with enough acidity to keep it on the bright side. It is aging very well and I'm in no great hurry to drink my remaining bottles.

Fully mature and drinking beautifully now. Rich and exotic, with strong botrytis notes, but clearly gruner veltliner. Great acidity and minerality keep it fresh. This paired wonderfully with extremely spicy Thai food.