Varietal(s): Riesling
Vineyard Management: Demeter Certified Biodynamic
Winemaking: Spontaneous fermentation, aged on lees in Austrian fuder, Unfined/Unfiltered
Vegan: Yes
Typicity: These wines are Typical for Wachau Riesling. Nikolaihof is a benchmark producer. I will note that the age of the bottle will impart secondary characteristics like petrol and umami we get from raw honey, but don't worry, it still drinks like a knife.
Bio: Nikolaihof is one of the oldest estates in Austria dating back to 470 B.C.E. and contains the oldest named vineyards, Im Weinegebirge, in all of Europe. Nikolaus Saahs Jr., the fourth generation of the Saahs family to take the helm, makes wine in the same way that his parents did before him. The vineyards have never experienced chemical additions of any kind. We can thank Christine Saahs insistence on biodynamic practices that made the estate the first in the world to adopt the practice in 1971.
The wines are all spontaneous fermentations, aged on lees in gigantic Austrian oak fuders only to be bottled when Nikolaus deems them ready. All of their work continues to pay off as these wines are intensely nuanced and as far as I know, eternal.
