1997 Weingut Willi Bründlmayer Grüner Veltliner Alte Reben- Austria, Niederösterreich, Kamptal (11/23/2020)
My last bottle, and it may be the youngest. This is 23 years old? I would suspect 3 if it was served blind. Still in full possession of fresh, yellow fruit, the classic Grüner pea shoot tones, and a saline finish that feels like a cold ocean wave slapping me in the face. How did this bottle go through suspended animation? It has barely moved. Bizarre and fascinating.
Great producer that doesn’t get much attention for some reason. When these wines were first coming into Portland in the late '90s, there was a cellar release of the '79 I believe, that was stunning in its complexity, yet was still very vibrant and fresh. I think I drank my last one around 2008 or so, and it was still going strong. Gruner may be able to age as long as Riesling from the right producers and regions.
I love this bottling. Why I don’t have any in the cellar is a mystery. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bottle older than 10 years but always enjoy it regardless of age.
You should. While it’s good on release, for my palate it usually comes into its own at around age 10 and just keeps going from there. My oldest experience was a 1995 at around age 20 and while it showed more developed than David’s 1997 it was peaking and in no danger of falling apart any time soon.