Nikolaihof "Aus den Garten" Gruner Veltliner Federspiel 2013

Press 2 • July 2025 Direct Press Selection

I could talk forever about Nikolaihof, one of the jewels of the Wachau wine trail and the world's first biodynamic winery, certified in 1971. They also occupy the oldest building in Austria (470 AD). They make wines with power, age-worthiness, and gravitas, but they never feel like they're showing off. I've had the pleasure of visiting them twice, and their generosity and humility is infectious. If you ever get the chance, make sure you stay for dinner at their restaurant where many of the greens and herbs come from their own (biodynamic, of course) gardens. Though Nikolaus Saahs has been making the wine for some time now, his mother Christine is the matriarch, and it was at her insistence that they began working their vines using biodynamics. At the time, the estate was not well-known and it was also motivated to work without chemical treatments because they could barely afford them. Today is a different story, as they have become a leading face for legitimizing biodynamic agriculture. 

Nikolaihof is fortunate to have a lot of cellar space and a remarkable collection of enormous oak casks. That means they often do library releases, and the 2013 "Aus den Gärten" Grüner Veltliner is their latest. It was actually in cask until 2024, an entire decade. I typically find Grüner Veltliner to be less ageworthy and exciting compared to Riesling, but Nikolaihof frequently proves me wrong on this. These vines are planted in a terraced vineyard called "Im Weingebirge" that dates back to the 5th century A.D. Despite the extended aging, this wine is unbelievably fresh and will easily age another decade in the bottle. It's salty and creamy with lemongrass and ginger aromas. On the palate there is an endlessly complex interplay of honey, plum flesh, Alpine cheese, orange peel, and iced tea. It finishes with minerals, puffed barley, wheat beer, and an umami reminiscent of sake. Nikolaihof is rather famous for it's higher levels of added sulfur, but they are employing it's highest and best use, in my opinion, giving us wines like this deeply transcendent library release that are few and far between. Jonathan Kemp