TN '05 Nikolaihof GV

Jul 06, 2007 4 Replies
M

With tonight's dinner of leftover BBQ and various salads, I opened a bottle of:


2005 Nikolaihof 'Hefeabzug' Grüner Veltliner color: pale green-yellow nose: faint hints of green peas and minerals palate: very light, decent acidity, fairly modest flavors

This is my second encounter with this low-end bottling from Nikolaihof, a producer that I think quite highly of. However, both the '04 and '05 have failed to impress. This wine is correct but uninspiring, and coming fairly recently after the '06 Gobelsburger, it had a rather large shadow to escape. Perhaps it's an unfair comparison across vintages, but this wine strikes me as nothing special.



Mark Lipton


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D

I haven't had the '05, but quite lked the '02 and '04 . If I remember correctly, Hefeabzug is basically German for "sur lie" I don't think Michael Pronay is fond of this bottling either.

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M

IIRC, I actually liked the '04 a bit better. I think that there was just a bit more going on with it. Hefeabzug, literally, means something like yeast departure, so "sur lie" sounds like a reasonable translation.

Mark Lipton

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L

I have never had the low end bottling from Nikolaihof but the higher end ones have been wonderful especially with summer salads. Had the '05 Hefeabzug and was very impressed. Steely and minerally with a touch of citrus.

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M

Sorry, haven't had the Hefeabzug for ages.

Actually, Abzug or Abstich in the world of wine is what the French call tirage or soutirage: clearing the wine in cask from lees and deposits. "Hefeabzug" litterally would be "mise [en bouteille] sur lie".

M.

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