Hefeabzug, Grüner Veltliner trocken 2016

A Grüner Veltliner with vegetal spice and tremendous drinkability, not to be underestimated in its blend of freshness and maturity. At 12.0% ABV, it remains light on its feet.

The majority of the fruit is grown in the Steiner Goldberg single vineyard, first recorded in 1302. It sits at an elevation of 300 to 380 metres overlooking Krems, with southeast-, south- and east-facing slopes. The subsoil consists of crystalline solid bedrock: paragneiss, mica schist and quartzite. Above this lies a loamy-sandy deep-trenched soil (Rigolboden) with a high stone content—dry, well-drained, lime-free and acidic; only in the southern part of the vineyard is loess present. A smaller portion comes from Mautern, where deep-trenched soils with loess and loam predominate.

Single-varietal Grüner Veltliner. Nikolaihof has been working biodynamically according to Demeter standards since 1971. In the Roman vaulted cellar stands a 350-year-old wooden beam tree press made of oak; the musts ferment spontaneously in large Slavonian oak casks. The 2016 vintage was released only in 2024 as an Archive Release.

On the nose, a vegetal blend of fennel, celery, asparagus and spring onion, complemented by chervil, coriander leaves, bread crust and freshly cut grain. On the palate, stimulating, mouth-watering, with stony undertones providing a mineral foundation beneath the remarkably long finish.

The estate stands on the foundations of the Roman fort Favianis dating back to 63 BC, and the Saahs family has farmed it since 1894. Christine Saahs introduced the biodynamic principles of Rudolf Steiner in 1971, making Nikolaihof the oldest Demeter-certified winery in the world.