Im Weingebirge, Grüner Veltliner Smaragd trocken 2014

A Grüner Veltliner in the lighter style of the 2014 vintage, pale yellow like cowslips. The nose reveals a mature, understated fruit bouquet, less opulent, less floral, but marked by oxidative nuances that set the tone.

Ried Im Weingebirge is situated above Mautern and is a site within a site: it belongs to Ried Alte Point and borders the vineyards Strudel and Süssenberg. Six hectares stretching northwards up the slope from 206 to 225 metres above sea level. The subsoil consists of paragneiss, which surfaces in places, overlaid with loam and predominantly loess. The vineyard is regarded as the earliest documented in Europe, recorded as early as 470 AD.

Single-varietal Grüner Veltliner from biodynamic farming according to Demeter standards, which Nikolaihof adopted in 1971. The musts ferment spontaneously, and maturation takes place in large Slavonian oak casks in the Roman vaulted cellar, which also houses a 350-year-old tree press. The wine was released from the cellar only ten years after harvest as a 2024 Archive Release.

Densely woven, soft, and creamy in texture. The wine unfolds with great length, allowing its crisp acidity to come to the fore only in the finale, lending freshness and persistence to the aftertaste. 12.5% ABV, dry.

Nikolaihof stands on the foundations of the Roman fort Favianis dating back to 63 BC and is Austria's oldest winery. The Saahs family has cultivated the 22 hectares since 1894 and established the estate as the first Demeter-certified winery in Austria; it is considered the oldest Demeter winery in the world and remains the only certified biodynamic producer in the Wachau to this day.