Nikolaihof Vom Stein Federspiel Wachau Riesling

92

2020-09-10

Aromas of apricots and ripe lemons with honeysuckle and lemon rind. Medium-to full-bodied, round and lightly creamy-textured palate with some pleasant fruit on the finish. Steely in the end. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink now. Screw cap.

92

2018-12-28

From loessy, loamy and gravelly soils and aged for six months in large oak casks, the 2017 Vom Stein Riesling Federspiel is flinty and fresh on the precise and bright nose with its crushed stone and lemony notes. Mouthfilling, lush, round and piquant on the palate, this is a highly delicate and filigreed 2017 with a long and stimulating, mineral-piquant and salty finish. Very young but already a pleasure. Just delicious! Tasted at the domain in Mautern, September 2018. Drink 2018-2040.

91

2017-08-31

94

2017-10-03

What a beautiful, delicate peachy nose! On the palate there's a grace and elegance that's rare in this category. A long, very mineral and clean finish. Drink or hold – this would go at least another decade in the bottle. Screw cap.

94

2018-12-13

At 12.2% alcohol, this weighs in marginally (and surprisingly) higher than did its 2015 counterpart. But you’d never guess that from the buoyancy it exhibits. Its sunny disposition, infectious juiciness and invigorating pungency – all reflecting an aromatically penetrating abundance of sage-laced lemon, orange and apricot that puts me a bit in mind of Muscat – make for a memorably delightful performance. Alkaline, shimmeringly stony and mouthwateringly saline notes as well as a tang of white currant add to the irresistible appeal of a brightly and pungently sustained finish. The feel here is subtly silky, but this vibrant bundle of energy and paradigm of clarity appears to be the exception among Nikolaihof 2016s for having resisted malolactic transformation. Count this among the most memorable in the long line of memorable Nikolaihof Riesling Federspiele and pray that even allowing for a second bottling slated for late 2017 or early 2018, and despite an increasingly crowded cellar, enough will remain in cask to support an eventual “Steinriesler” bottling.