F.X. Pichler Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Kellerberg 2014

Pineapple, mango and passion fruit give this a lush tropical character, underpinned by the Kellerberg's signature Szechuan peppercorn and a smoky, almost meaty depth reminiscent of Latakia tobacco and toasted rye. For all its richness — and this is a full, almost opulent wine — there's a surprising lift to the finish, tangy and piquant, that keeps it from feeling heavy. Lucas Pichler notes this included fruit harvested all the way through November, among it lightly shriveled and botrytis-affected old-vine material that would ordinarily have gone into an M bottling — and he wonders aloud, with characteristic candor, whether that was the right call. It's a fair question: the wine sits at the outer edge of Smaragd weight, and not everyone will want it there. Those who do should give it time.