Nikolaihof Gruner Veltliner Vinothek 6/750 1993

"By now you know this singular estate has been holding certain wines back, in cask and without sulfur, until they are deemed ready to bottle. There have been Rieslings (the supernal 1990) and GruVes (the amazing '91), and now this.

The 1993 in the glass was bottled in early April 2008, directly from the cask in which it lay since fermentation. It begins by tasting woody, and then becomes roasty and protein-y and fatty, like the cracklings of a suckling-pig roast. It then gets leafy and the teensiest bit root-y, like celeraic; a full year in bottle has actually made it fresher and frutier, albeit with its Jurasienne touch. (If it were Jura it would be the best wine ever made there.) The secret-sweetness and the woodsy patina are just ravishing. It's settled into its new home and has started to glow.

I asked if there was a candidate for the next Vinothek bottling. "Actually there are several," they replied. "But we want to surprise you." Good: I like surprises." -Terry Theise Estate Selections

Food Pairings

Anything that "stinks up your house when you are cooking it," Terry Theise. Asian food, ham, smoked meats or fish.