Riesling vom Stein Smaragd 2009 75cl

The Nikolaihof 2009 Riesling Smaragd Vom Stein spent two and a half years in cask. In fact, two consecutive vintages took leaps in that regard, the 2008 having been bottled after 18 months – significantly longer than its predecessor. The nose fills with suggestions of raw autumn squash and pumpkin as well as an alluring perfume of rowan, chamomile, honeysuckle, and hints of moss and wood such as I associate with time spent in old ovals. These elements seem to billow across the silken palate in an at once soothing and succulently juicy performance, culminating in a vibrantly interactive finish full of floral, squash-like, nutty and woody nuances that captivate even as they prove hard to capture in words. This beauty should prove worth following through at least 2022. “Despite the dry conditions, we always managed to get just enough rain,” says Nikolaus Saahs of 2012. The staunchly and long-standing biodynamic Nikolaihof prides itself on the extent to which this results in their harvesting well-ahead of their fellow Wachauer; but in 2012 it was virtually impossible to get significantly out ahead of the whole pack when many growers began picking by late September, and the Nikolaihof – in starting during the third week – were following their typical schedule. The earliest-released results – fewer than half of any Nikolaihof collection being bottled and released in the year following harvest – display the fruit-forwardness of their vintage, with less nuance or intrigue than is sometimes found already in very young Nikolaihof wines. As usual, I had my first opportunity to taste certain 2011s alongside the initial releases from 2012, and I re-tasted other 2011s in the course of last year, from which I predict that – in contrast with most Danubian Austrian estates – vintage 2012 here will prove outclassed by its immediate predecessor. Even by Nikolaihof standards, the array of late- and “Vinothek” (very long cask-aged) releases over the past couple of years has been extraordinary, and while they may be expensive, they deliver unparalleled intrigue and rarified pleasure that promise to persist in bottle for many more years.