Tons of pear tart, mango dessert, earl-grey tea, orange marmalade, white pepper and baked Alaska here. Full-bodied and concentrated on the palate with a gyclerol-like texture and lots of ripe-fruit character. The acidity takes on a direct but subtle persona. Drink now or hold.

From a warm, very steep, southwest-facing vineyard with some 60+-year-old vines on calcareous soil with schist elements, the 2018 Ried Liebenberg Grüner Veltliner Smaragd is dark and flinty on the coolish and stony nose. Round and elegant on the palate, this is, however, a pretty rich and fruity Liebenberg with some bitters on the finish. Quite alcoholic for my taste. Bottled in August 2019 and tasted at the domain in September. - Stephan Reinhardt