At 12.2% alcohol, this weighs in marginally (and surprisingly) higher than did its 2015 counterpart. But you’d never guess that from the buoyancy it exhibits. Its sunny disposition, infectious juiciness and invigorating pungency – all reflecting an aromatically penetrating abundance of sage-laced lemon, orange and apricot that puts me a bit in mind of Muscat – make for a memorably delightful performance. Alkaline, shimmeringly stony and mouthwateringly saline notes as well as a tang of white currant add to the irresistible appeal of a brightly and pungently sustained finish. The feel here is subtly silky, but this vibrant bundle of energy and paradigm of clarity appears to be the exception among Nikolaihof 2016s for having resisted malolactic transformation. Count this among the most memorable in the long line of memorable Nikolaihof Riesling Federspiele and pray that even allowing for a second bottling slated for late 2017 or early 2018, and despite an increasingly crowded cellar, enough will remain in cask to support an eventual “Steinriesler” bottling. (DS)

The 2016 Vom Stein Riesling Federspiel is beautifully pure and fresh on the nose, displaying well defined stone fruit aromas intermixed with crushed stone aromas. Still very young, this 2016 is asking for cool cellars. Very elegant on the palate, this is a pure and complex, medium to full-bodied Riesling with intense and juicy fruit structured by fine tannins and ripe acidity. The finish is pure, grippy and salty. This is a very promising long distance runner of which Saahs holds back the largest part for a later release. (SR)