Nikolaihof Riesling Vom Stein Federspiel 2020

Direct Press Selection • January 2023  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