Nikolaihof vom Stein Federspiel Riesling 2016

Nikolaihof farms Demeter-certified biodynamic in the Wachau, and Ried Vom Stein, a sub-site tucked inside the larger Silberbichl, gives this 2016 Riesling its spine: gneiss and mica under a cap of loess, which reads as stony cut with just enough breadth. Fermented and raised in large old casks, so there's no oak signature, only texture, a mid-palate that widens without losing its line, minerality running the length of it. This is Riesling as architecture, not decoration.