Benchmark Wines by
Donnhoff
The Winery
Dönnhoff
“Great Riesling is like a very large orchestra playing very quietly.”
– Helmut Dönnhoff, Founder
The first of the Dönnhoff family came to the Nahe region of Germany over 250 years ago to establish a farm in the village of Oberhäusen an der Nahe. The wine estate was started by Helmut Dönnhoff’s grandfather, Hermann, in the 1920s with only 4 hectares under vine. After many years focusing on expansion and improving quality, Helmut and his son, Cornelius, expanded to 25 hectares and a total of nine different single-vineyard sites, all classified as Grand Cru. The estate recently joined a new sustainable certification called Fair’n’Green which is supported by the German Government as well as the Frauhofer Institute, one of Europe’s top research organizations. Although it is not used as a marketing tool, it has become a way for growers to share information and expand their knowledge for future generations to come.
Tasting Notes
- WA93
- The Donnhoff 2011 Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Auslese gold capsule represents a selection of partly-botrytized bunches pulled out before what remained was packed under film to await the first hard frost. Mango and papaya, quince and peach deliver an impression both tropical and northerly, with musky animal and smoky black tea scents adding intrigue, while alkaline, saline, and otherwise maritime nuances lend saliva-inducing counterpoint to this elixir’s sheer richness of fruit as well as its palate’s opulence, oily texture, and honeyed glaze. There is a glowing, soothing yet stimulating harmony to the finish, even if not the animation or spellbinding interactivity of this year’s Donnhoff Spatlesen. I would plan to follow it over the next 20-25 years. Donnhoff doesn’t disagree with me that this is 2011 first and Brucke second. “You can’t heighten the typicity of the site by means of botrytis,” he adds. “That reached its apex already in the Spatlese.”
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