2012 Nikolaihof Gelber Muskateller

The Nikolaihof 2012 Gelber Muskateller is one of those examples of its genre that seem to be flashing yellow and orange given the prominence of fresh lemon and tangerine – laced with sage and spruce resin – in almost smelling slat-like aromatic concentration, and the bracing, sharply etched effect of its prominent phenolic on the palate. Hints of chalk and salt add interest though they do not prevent a slightly drying after-impression to a rather brusquely invigorating finish hardly atypical for this genre. I would plan on serving this over the coming year. (Palate-drying was also an issue in an aromatically showy but awkwardly soapy and bitter Nikolaihof 2012 Gewurztraminer that I tasted alongside.) “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