A fantastic vintage from one of Austria’s great addresses, Nikolaihof is a fountainhead for some of the country’s most profound and long-lived white wines, and the 2021 Vom Stein is one of the finest examples of this bottling since the great 2014 vintage. The estate’s history stretches back nearly 2,000 years, while the Saahs family purchased Nikolaihof in 1894 and remains at the helm today. The key here is an extraordinary level of attention in the vineyards, with strict biodynamic farming and old-school Austrian cellar techniques led by Nikolaus Saahs. Vom Stein is a special section of the Silberbichl vineyard, where loess deposited during the Ice Age sits over gravel, gneiss and mica-rich primary rock, giving the wine a beautiful combination of depth, texture and pronounced minerality. The 2021 was fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts and then allowed to mature for roughly two and a half years in large old wooden casks, building complexity and breadth without sacrificing freshness. The cool, structured vintage suits Nikolaihof’s style perfectly, with apricot, peach and dried citrus layered with honeycomb, herbs, subtle wax and an intensely saline, stony character. There is real concentration and richness through the middle, but vibrant acidity keeps the wine precise, energetic and remarkably long. Already showing beautifully thanks to its extended élevage, this remains an exceptionally youthful, cellar-worthy Riesling and one of the most compelling expressions of Wachau Smaragd from this outstanding vintage!
Vinous (Anne Krebiehl MW) 97 pts! The 2021 Riesling Vom Stein Smaragd is picked on Nikolaihof’s most easterly site, on the southern bank of the Danube, where a thick layer of loess covers Danubian gravels. The nose offers lardo, wax, bright yeast and a hovering sense of honey. The palate takes that honeyed note and wraps it in concentrated dried lemon peel, offering freshness, total direction and great poise. It is utterly juicy and salty at the core, so alive, energetic and vivid, yet so calm. The dynamics here are totally arresting. (Drink between 2026 - 2065)
James Suckling (Claire Nesbet) 96 pts! Deep and enticing aromas of apricots, pineapple, honeycomb and candied lemons. Fantastic concentration and freshness on the palate, medium- to full-bodied, with lemony brightness and stone fruit richness. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold.
2021 Nikolaihof Riesling Smaragd Vom Stein
2021 Nikolaihof Riesling Smaragd Vom Stein
A fantastic vintage from one of Austria’s great addresses, Nikolaihof is a fountainhead for some of the country’s most profound and long-lived white wines, and the 2021 Vom Stein is one of the finest examples of this bottling since the great 2014 vintage. The estate’s history stretches back nearly 2,000 years, while the Saahs family purchased Nikolaihof in 1894 and remains at the helm today. The key here is an extraordinary level of attention in the vineyards, with strict biodynamic farming and old-school Austrian cellar techniques led by Nikolaus Saahs. Vom Stein is a special section of the Silberbichl vineyard, where loess deposited during the Ice Age sits over gravel, gneiss and mica-rich primary rock, giving the wine a beautiful combination of depth, texture and pronounced minerality. The 2021 was fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts and then allowed to mature for roughly two and a half years in large old wooden casks, building complexity and breadth without sacrificing freshness. The cool, structured vintage suits Nikolaihof’s style perfectly, with apricot, peach and dried citrus layered with honeycomb, herbs, subtle wax and an intensely saline, stony character. There is real concentration and richness through the middle, but vibrant acidity keeps the wine precise, energetic and remarkably long. Already showing beautifully thanks to its extended élevage, this remains an exceptionally youthful, cellar-worthy Riesling and one of the most compelling expressions of Wachau Smaragd from this outstanding vintage!
Vinous (Anne Krebiehl MW) 97 pts! The 2021 Riesling Vom Stein Smaragd is picked on Nikolaihof’s most easterly site, on the southern bank of the Danube, where a thick layer of loess covers Danubian gravels. The nose offers lardo, wax, bright yeast and a hovering sense of honey. The palate takes that honeyed note and wraps it in concentrated dried lemon peel, offering freshness, total direction and great poise. It is utterly juicy and salty at the core, so alive, energetic and vivid, yet so calm. The dynamics here are totally arresting. (Drink between 2026 - 2065)
James Suckling (Claire Nesbet) 96 pts! Deep and enticing aromas of apricots, pineapple, honeycomb and candied lemons. Fantastic concentration and freshness on the palate, medium- to full-bodied, with lemony brightness and stone fruit richness. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold.
