Bottler: Nikolaihof Wachau, Nikolaigasse 3, 3512 Mautern / Austria
In the glass
Colour
Bright lemon yellow with green reflections.
Nose
Profound and complex – lime, kaffir lime and bergamot meet mandarin peel, pear and quince; accompanied by a wild spectrum of spices including pepper, coriander, caraway, clove and lemongrass, finely integrated by subtle yeast and sencha tea.
Palate
Energetic with moderate acidity, marked by fine autolysis, abundant umami and a long finish with mango, papaya, herbs and spices.
Character
Mature, majestic and profound – an aged Veltliner with a balanced arc of tension, at peace with itself and radiating quality and mastery.
Pairing
Chicken curry with mango, pepper and chilli salad, millet salad with squid and coco beans, or sweetbreads with porcini mushrooms.
Notes
As a Demeter-certified wine from the world’s oldest Demeter estate, it matured for eleven years in large, old wooden casks and was bottled in April 2024 on a fruit day according to the lunar calendar – “late bottled” from Austria’s oldest winery.
Tasting note
Colour & appearance
Bright lemon yellow with green reflections – astonishingly youthful for a wine that has spent over a decade in the cellar.
Nose
Profound, earthy, mature. Lime, kaffir lime and bergamot provide freshness, while a touch of Sencha tea and tangerine peel lends a pleasant bitterness. Behind these, ripe pear and quince slowly emerge. The herbal and spicy register seems virtually endless: pepper, coriander, curry, lemongrass, caraway, clove, parsley. Extended lees ageing acts as a subtle binding element in the background. A bouquet that reveals new facets with every swirl of the glass.
Palate
Poised and self-assured, with great tension and masterful balance. Energetic yet never loud: with moderate acidity (4.7 g/l) and restrained richness, autolysis imparts a fine, almost creamy mouthfeel. Abundant umami, with fruit aromas returning subtly – a wine of sublime serenity.
Finish
Very long, with mango and papaya intertwining with herbs and spices to form a lingering, exotic-spicy finale.
Terroir & origin
The vines are rooted in clay, loess and paragneiss in the Wachau – on an estate built upon Roman foundations dating back to 63 BC, regarded as Austria’s oldest winery. The Saahs family has farmed it since 1894; the ‘Im Weingebirge’ vineyard is considered the first documented vineyard site in Europe.
Grape variety & vinification
Grüner Veltliner, aged for eleven years in large, old wooden casks – testament to the patience for which Nikolaihof is renowned through its Vinothek philosophy. Bottled only in April 2024, on a fruit day according to the biodynamic calendar. Dry with just 1.2 g/l residual sugar and a moderate 12.5% ABV.
Food recommendations
The spicy depth calls for aromatic cuisine: grilled curry chicken with mango, pepper and chilli salad, millet salad with squid and coco beans, or roasted sweetbreads with porcini mushrooms and white tomato foam.
Special features
Nikolaihof is Demeter-certified and is regarded as the world’s oldest Demeter winery – becoming Austria’s first biodynamic estate in 1971. That a Federspiel, traditionally the lighter, more approachable Wachau category, endures eleven years of cask ageing and emerges so remarkably fresh is the true miracle: this ‘late bottled’ release makes the 2013 vintage a rarity in the tradition of the estate’s legendary Vinothek wines.
