Bernhard Ott Grüner Veltliner Tausend Rosen 2012

Sourced from the finest old-vine rows of Rosenberg, and only bottled in years that earn it (no 2013 was made, quantity falling short), this is a wine that courts decadence without quite committing to it. There's a subtle sweetness on the nose and throughout, though Ott argues the wine found its own equilibrium after 18 months on full lees without sulfur. The aromatics are genuinely arresting: rose petal, lily, smoky black tea, brown spices, a trace of fennel pollen and caramelized root vegetables, a profile that could almost pass for a Gewurztraminer in a blind tasting. On the palate, that complexity carries through on a creamy, rounded frame, closing with a long, softly sweet finish. Gorgeous in its way, but it lacks the precision and composure of the standard Rosenberg bottling at this stage.