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Nikolaihof, Steiner Hund Riesling Reserve, 2010

White Wine from Wachau, Austria
$69.99
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This is a fifteen-year-old Riesling from one of Nikolaihof's great sites, and a rare chance to see what this famously unhurried estate's wines turn into with real age. Steiner Hund sits just outside the Wachau's borders, so Nikolaihof can't call it Smaragd and labels it "Reserve" instead. It's Smaragd in spirit, and only geography decides the name. The vineyard is very stony, all primary rock and river pebbles, which is the kind of ground that gives Riesling the mighty minerality we love from this house. Written evidence of winemaking at Nikolaihof goes back to 470 A.D. The Saahs family, owners since 1894, have never used chemicals in their vineyards. Christine Saahs led the move to biodynamics, and the estate is Demeter certified. The 2010 was made after her son Niki took over in 2005. If you think Austrian Riesling is only for drinking young, a bottle with this much time on it is the best counterargument we know.

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Antonio Galloni

95 points

"The nose here fascinates in a distinctively Nikolaihof manner. Elusive suggestions of moss and lichen on wet stone, mothball and salt spray, along with herbal and floral essences introduce a palate performance that adds to their presence roasted peanut, white asparagus, almond and pear for an effect at once satiny and soothing, juicy and subtly piquant. The combination of mouthwatering salinity and mineral intrigue to the nearly endless finish resembles a mouthful of oyster with its green innards and briny liquor. This remarkable libation was bottled in the spring of 2014." —David Schildknecht

Robert Parker

93 points

"The 2010 Riesling Steiner Hund is a pure and cool, rather vegetal than fruity flavored Riesling with flinty notes along with aromas of fennel seeds and celery. Still very young, restrained and edgy on the palate, this full-bodied, very pure and mineral wine with its firm and long, tension-filled structure does not show any flesh or juiciness at the moment. However, I wouldn't call it ascetic, just a little bit drying. This densely woven Riesling is much too rich and too electrifying in the mouth and too long and powerful in the finish to end up as a joyless wine. However, I suppose this promising, firmly structured long-distance runner will never get that round and juicy, but will remain a vital and scraggy (in a positive sense) wine for many years. I would keep it for another 7-10 years before I retaste it again." —Stephan Reinhardt

More about Nikolaihof

Austria's oldest vineyard with almost two millennia of history. The Im Weingebirge site dates to the 5th century, when Roman soldiers occupied the Wachau. Nikolaihof has been Demeter-certified biodynamic since the 1970s—one of the first in Europe to embrace the practice. The wines are minerally, precise, and feel like touching something very old and very alive.

Wine Details

  • Grape Variety

    Riesling

  • Vintage

    2010

  • Size

    750ml

  • Farming Practice

    Biodynamic

  • Style

    Crisp

  • Sweetness

    Dry

  • Body

    Medium Bodied

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Tasting Notes & Food Pairings

Perfect Pairings

Wiener schnitzel with potato-cucumber salad; trout with brown butter and almonds; roast pork loin with apples; Alsatian choucroute garnie; aged Comté or Gruyère.

Tasting Profile

Expect the classic profile of dry Austrian Riesling from stony primary-rock soils: ripe stone fruit and citrus, a pronounced flinty minerality and firm, racy acidity, in a fuller, Smaragd-weight style. With bottle age, wines like this typically pick up honeyed, toasty and gently petrol-like notes, finishing long, dry and savoury. Think of a drier, stonier take on mature German Riesling.

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