Nikolaihof Im Weingebirge Federspiel Gruner Veltliner 2016
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Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine
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Winemaker Notes
After the mineral attack of the Hefeabzug this wine is almost sedate. But this is deceptive. A sideways mineral length comes in midway through, and takes off its shoes. It’s there to stay. Its first fruit runs in the sorrel-lentil direction, delicate, refined….and then the stray but determined mineral. In some ways this gentle wonder is the essence of Nikolaihof.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
If you ever wondered what a Wachau dry riesling tasted like a century or more ago, then here is the answer. Expansive nose of caramelized apple, dried peach and flint. For a medium-bodied dry white this is very delicate in flavor, but also intensely stony and flinty. A unique wine! Bottled in June 2022 after almost six years in large barrels of neutral oak. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification.
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Wine Spectator
A distinctive piquancy augments notes of clementine, elderflower and sage in this complex Federspiel. Firm structure and lively acidity link all the elements and drive this to a beautiful, herb-infused aftertaste. Drink now through 2025.
Other Vintages
2018-
Spectator
Wine
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Parker
Robert
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Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James
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Suckling
James
Fun to say and delightfully easy to drink, Grüner Veltliner calls Austria its homeland. While some easily quaffable Grüners come in a one-liter—a convenient size—many high caliber single vineyard bottlings can benefit from cellar aging. Somm Secret—About 75% of the world’s Grüner Veltliner comes from Austria but the variety is gaining ground in other countries, namely Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the United States.
As Austria’s most prestigious wine growing region, the landscape of the Wachau is—not surprisingly—one of its most dramatic. Millions of years ago, the Danube River chiseled its way through the earth, creating steep terraces of decomposed volcanic and metamorphic rock. Harsh Ice Age winds brought deposits of ancient glacial dust and loess to the terrace’s eastern faces. Today these steep surfaces of nutrient-poor and fast draining soil are home to some of Austria’s very best sites for both Grüner Veltliner and Riesling.
Wachau is small, comprising a mere three percent of Austria’s vine surface and, considering relatively low yields, represents a miniscule proportion of total wine production. Diurnal temperature shifts in Wachau facilitate great balance of sugar and phenolic ripeness in its grapes. At night cold air from the Alps and forests in the northwest displace warm afternoon air, which gets sucked upstream along the Danube.
Its sites are actually so varied and distinct that more emphasis is going into vineyard-designated offerings even despite grape variety. Grüner Veltliner and Riesling are most prominent, but the region produces Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc (Weissburgunder), Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Zweigelt among other local variants.