Nikolaihof: Giant of Austria Sale 1-24-24

 
Nikolaihof is a giant of Austrian wine—a producer whose history and quality are unrivaled even in a country full of great producers. The history of the estate spans eras and is Austria’s oldest. It dates back to Roman times. Records first note winemaking occurring at the estate in 470, and the Saahs family has run the property for well over a century.
 
Much like how estates operated in previous centuries, the estate is farmed under polyculture and produces everything from honey to cut flowers in addition to wine production. It was the first winery to fully convert to farming biodynamically in the world, having done so in the 1970s, a surprisingly easy task as no modern farming chemicals have touched the estate’s vines.
 
The wines are bright, precise and mineral-drenched with the power and density of the Wachau. The family produces wines of deep resonant flavors with a core of vinosity, especially from their top vineyards, Im Weingebirge (the first named vineyard in Europe), Vom Stein and Steiner Hund. Across their holdings, vines average 47 years in age.
 
The estate maintains a sense of restlessness and invention about them while being strong tied to ancient practices, best described by importer Rare Wine Company as combining perfectionism with arch-traditionalism. Nothing is done hastily. Whether that’s using a centuries old wooden press, aging for years on the lees, or reimagining what wine from the Wachau can be through extended cask aging in their 700-year-old cellar, they take very traditional techniques to occasionally give us a beautifully refracted image of Austrian wine.
 
To taste a wine from Nikolaihof is to taste the history of wine. These wines transcend vintages and varieties to offer a rare glimpse of time itself. These are the heights of Austrian wine from a producer that will outlive us all.
 
In Stock and On Sale Now from Nikolaihof:
 
Familie Saahs Nikolaihof Grüner Veltliner Federspiel, Wachau 2021 750ml Displayed Price: $38, that’s $36.10 at 5% off and $34.20 at 10% off, 6 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 90 points “An unusual gruner veltliner, due to a hint of butterscotch character, but green pepper, parsley and dill are the dominant aromas. Bright, lemony acidity keeps the medium-bodied palate fresh. Some creaminess at the finish. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink now. Screw cap.”
 
Familie Saahs Nikolaihof im Weingebirge Grüner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau 2016 750ml Displayed Price: $66, that’s $62.70 at 5% off and $59.40 at 10% off, 2 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 94+ points “Bottled with 13% alcohol at the end of July 2019 but filtered in early 2017, the 2016 Im Weingebirge Grüner Veltliner Smaragd offers a fascinatingly clear, fresh and coolish apricot aroma intermixed with morel/mushroom aromas and flinty notes of crushed stones. Full-bodied, round and fleshy on the palate, this is a generous and mouth-filling wine with rather delicate acidity and a slightly bitter, well-structured finish with lingering salinity and mineral freshness. Very promising. Tasted from lot 1420619 at the Nikolaihof in September 2019.”
 
Familie Saahs Nikolaihof im Weingebirge Grüner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau 2017 750ml Displayed Price: $69, that’s $65.55 at 5% off and $62.10 at 10% off, 9 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 95+ points “Bottled in April this year, the 2017 Im Weingebirge Grüner Veltliner Smaragd is fascinatingly deep and refined on the complex, fresh, elegant and remarkably complex nose with its crystalline stone notes. On the palate, the wine reveals great finesse and elegance combined with substance, grip and sustainability. It is a full-bodied, powerful, rich and almost sweet, concentrated and tensioned terroir wine that is still young and ready to go a long distance. 13% alcohol. Tasted at the domaine in June 2021.”
 
Familie Saahs Nikolaihof Riesling Federspiel, Wachau 2021 750ml Displayed Price: $39, that’s $37.05 at 5% off and $35.10 at 10% off, 12 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 93 points “This youthful Wachau dry riesling is a complex swirl of flint, Amalfi-lemon, white-pear and wild-herb aromas. Sleek, cool and mineral palate with enormous energy, this is fascinating now, but has an even more exciting future ahead of it. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold. Screw cap.”
 
Familie Saahs Nikolaihof Late-Bottled Riesling Federspiel, Wachau 2016 750ml Displayed Price: $59, that’s $56.05 at 5% off and $53.10 at 10% off, 12 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 94 points “If you ever wondered what a Wachau dry riesling tasted like a century or more ago, then here is the answer. Expansive nose of caramelized apple, dried peach and flint. For a medium-bodied dry white this is very delicate in flavor, but also intensely stony and flinty. A unique wine! Bottled in June 2022 after almost six years in large barrels of neutral oak. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold. Screw cap.”

Familie Saahs Nikolaihof Steiner Hund Riesling 2017 750ml Displayed Price: $99, that’s $94.05 at 5% off and $89.10 at 10% off, 6 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 95 points “Another stunning Steiner Hund dry riesling from Nikolaihof! Deep and complex nose with a ton of flint, but also crushed-rock, quince and pomelo aromas. For the very warm vintage this is astonishingly cool and restrained, with beautiful wet-stone minerality intertwined with the elegant acidity. Very long, silky finish. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold.”
 
Familie Saahs Nikolaihof Steinriesler Riesling, Wachau 2007 750ml Displayed Price: $89, that’s $84.55 at 5% off and $80.10 at 10% off, 10 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 98 points “Bottled in June 2019 after 12 years in a large oak vat, the 2007 Riesling Steinriesler is from the Vom Stein [vineyard] in Mautern and exhibits an intense and matured bouquet with caramel and leathery/feral as well as concentrated fruit but also crystalline, stony aromas. Deep, coolish and elegant. On the palate, this is a crystalline, refined and pure, very complex and concentrated wine with a great and complex finish that is structured, still tannic and seriously biting but with the right concentration and power for a long-distance run. It is mouth-watering, enormously tensioned and pushing on the finish. A great dry Riesling for real Riesling lovers. The wine should be decanted for maybe a day or two. 12% alcohol. Tasted at the domaine in June 2021.”
 
Familie Saahs Nikolaihof Riesling vom Stein Smaragd, Wachau 2016 750ml Displayed Price: $69, that’s $65.55 at 5% off and $62.10 at 10% off, 5 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 94 points “Bottled in April this year, the 2016 Vom Stein Riesling Smaragd is perfectly ripe and concentrated on the precise, coolish and flinty nose that reveals apricot and white peach aromas. Full-bodied, round and crystalline, this is a fresh, very elegant and textural Vom Stein in a linear and classic style. The finish is intense and reveals firm tannins and makes this an excellent gastronomic wine. 12.5% alcohol. Tasted at the domaine in June 2021.”
 
Familie Saahs Nikolaihof Riesling vom Stein Smaragd, Wachau 2017 750ml Displayed Price: $79, that’s $75.05 at 5% off and $71.10 at 10% off, 12 bottles in stock now
Familie Saahs Nikolaihof Riesling vom Stein Smaragd, Wachau 2017 1.5L Displayed Price: $169, that’s $160.55 at 5% off and $152.10 at 10% off, 3 magnums in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 94 points “The Mautern 2017 Riesling Ried Vom Stein Smaragd offers a pure, refined and finely oxidative bouquet of bright, ripe fruits intermingled with smoky and saline terroir notes as well as some delicate oak. Round and intense on the palate, with fine, playful and persistently saline acidity, this is a full-bodied, dense and very elegant Riesling with striking intensity and finesse. 12.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted in October 2022.”
James Suckling 94 points “A unique style of Wachau dry riesling! Very smoky nose, in fact it’s almost smoked bacon. Complex dried-herb character on the sleek but very structured palate. Impressive depth at the long finish, where notes of caramelized quince and crushed-stone minerality mingle. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold.”