2016 Riesling Hochäcker

The return to consistent excellence with Riesling and Grüner Veltliner that has marked Martin Nigl’s work since 2013 continued in 2016, and as I mentioned in my last report, I don’t think this is merely because of especially cooperative weather. That said, 2016 is a vintage from which crafting animating, finesseful wines transparent to detail and unencumbered by alcohol is less difficult than in relentlessly warm years like 2015 or 2017. Nigl was able, as is his wont, to hold off harvesting until relatively late, with a number of the best Grüner Veltliner not having been picked until well into November. Riesling proved marginally more sensitive to the rain that fell around Krems in October, for which reason Nigl reports not having left it on the vine for as long as he did Grüner Veltliner. But it also amassed more sugar more quickly – as demonstrated by the full percentage point difference in alcohol between the intro-level bottlings of Grüner Veltliner and Riesling – so it’s probably just as well on that account, too, that Nigl’s Riesling harvest was not too delayed. (For details concerning this estate's vineyards, practices and recent history, readers are invited to consult the extended introductions to my previous reports, especially those covering Nigl’s 2013s and 2015s.)