2010 Riesling vom Stein Smaragd

Tasting the Nikolaihof 2010 Riesling Smaragd Vom Stein alongside the lighter end of their 2012 collection – which I found surprisingly bright for that vintage – puts brightness and acid-driven animation in perspective. Here we have the sharply bright, spine-tingling, almost eye-watering intensity that few vintages can deliver like 2010. Pungent sage and tangerine rind harken back to Muscat in Riesling’s family tree, while generous fresh lemon juiciness serves for stimulating refreshment of a sort that few if any Muscats could supply. At 12.5% alcohol, this also harkens back to the weight typical of Smaragd in the late ‘80s or early ‘90s, with a corresponding sense of levity. Vibratory in sheer intensity, the finish here is all in the treble and I won’t try to argue that it is especially complex. Let’s see what the next 6-8 years bring, but whatever that might turn out to be, you’ll certainly get a delightful mouth-shaking from this bottling in its present youthful state. “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. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300