Im Weingebirge Grüner Veltliner Federspiel trocken 2006 1500ml Magnum

Wine description for Im Weingebirge Grüner Veltliner Federspiel trocken 2006 1500ml Magnum by Nikolaihof

Colour & appearance

Deep golden yellow with greenish reflections – nearly two decades of maturation have lent the wine brilliance and density without making it appear tired.

Nose

A mature Federspiel of beguiling serenity: yellow apple and pear meet chamomile, honeycomb and a fine note of white pepper – the classic hallmark of the variety, here subtly underscored by bottle age with dried herbs and damp limestone.

Palate

Slender and of crystalline precision, as is the house signature: a moderate 12 per cent alcohol, accompanied by a taut, still lively acidity. Quince, grapefruit zest and a saline minerality define the mid-palate. The magnum format has noticeably slowed its development – the wine seems younger than its vintage would suggest.

Finish

Long, dry and carried by a fine spiciness: peppery notes, citrus and a chalky resonance that lingers for minutes.

Terroir & origin

The vineyard site Im Weingebirge is regarded as the first documented vineyard in Europe – recorded since the year 470 AD. Nikolaihof itself stands on the foundations of the Roman fort of Favianis, dating from 63 BC; winegrowing history can hardly be older.

Grape variety & vinification

Pure Grüner Veltliner in the Wachau category Federspiel. As with all the estate’s wines, the must fermented spontaneously in large Slavonian oak casks, pressed using a roughly 350-year-old wooden press in the Roman vaulted cellar.

Food recommendations

Now, in its mature state, a wonderful wine to accompany food: with Wiener Schnitzel, trout in almond butter, asparagus with hollandaise sauce or Tafelspitz with apple horseradish. Also a delightful combination with mature mountain cheese.

Special features

An Archive Release 2024: released directly from the estate’s cellar, with near-perfect provenance – and in magnum format, which bestows additional freshness upon mature white wines. Nikolaihof has also been Demeter-certified since 1971 and is considered the oldest biodynamic estate in the world; by 2006, this was already long-established daily practice for the Saahs family. That a Federspiel remains so upright after almost twenty years demonstrates the immense ageing potential that also earned the 1995 Vinothek Riesling 100 Parker points as the first Austrian wine ever to do so. Whoever opens this wine drinks a piece of living Wachau history.