Some wines speak to us in unexpected ways, prompting memories or thoughts of great novels, movies, or TV shows. There is a scene in The Wheel of Time when things look particularly dark for our heroes, when the healer Nynaeve al’Meara bursts with incandescent light. waves of The One Power that heals her mortally wounded comrade. This Gruner Veltliner tastes kind of like that, bursting with waves of apple and lemon pith and electric acid and stony minerality in the form of sunbeams. Just like Nynaeve, there is more to this wine than meets the eye, notes of white pepper and quince and key lime come through on the nose, filling the airtime between sips with spice and fruit. This wine’s source of power is (probably) not the mythical, force-like One Power, but the particular soil the vines grow on, a thin layer of loose soil over pure bedrock, so the vines have to work hard to reach the water table. Their hard work pays off in the intensity they impart to the wine, an effortless textural depth without sacrificing a jot of acidity. Michael Malat largely stays out of the way, farming organically and uses cool and slow ferments for maximum intensity of flavor. Serve this classic Gruner with stovetop dishes like Schnitzel, pan seared trout, and vegetable dishes featuring asparagus.