Donnhoff

2006 Donnhoff Kreuznacher Krotenpfuhl Spatlese

Helmut Donnhoff is a world famous riesling producer from the Nahe. Not many estates outside the Mosel receive as much attention as those within it, but if there are any exceptions then perhaps Dynnhoff is one. The estate, which is over 12 hectares in size, has been in the Donnhoff family since 1750, and is currently run by Helmut Donnhoff. The Donnhoffs own vines in only the top vineyards of the Nahe Valley. The vineyards are principally slate or volcanic soil, and are planted with Riesling and also some Burgundian varieties. Top line rieslings.

2009 Donnhoff Oberhauser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett

Donnhoff is one of Germanys greatest producers. The 2009 Leistenberg Kabinett is again clearly Spätlese must weight, but it retains the essence of Kabinett in its dancing and racy acidity and real lightness of step on the palate. The bouquet is a beautiful blend of apple, grapefruit, violets, wild yeasts, white cherries and crystalline minerality. On the palate the wine is deep, medium-full and juicy, with beautiful transparency, bright acids and superb length and grip on the poised and classic finish. A beautiful bottle of Kabinett. 2010-2030+. 92/100 ."View from the Cellar-Martin Gillman

2009 Donnhoff Oberhauser Bruke Spatlese

"The 2009 Brücke Spätlese is also stunning, as it offers up a complex and scintillating nose of oranges, fresh apricot, a touch of honeycomb, complex notes of slate, lime zest, petrol and a topnote of citrus blossoms. On the palate the wine is medium-full, long, pure and utterly classic, with a rock solid core of fruit, perfect focus and balance and stunning cut and purity on the racy and very, very long finish. A brilliant bottle of Brücke Spätlese. 2015-2040. 94." Martin Gillman View from the Cellar

2008 Donnhoff Schlobbockelheimer Felsenberg Troken(dry)

"I have a warm spot in my heart for the wines from the Felsenberg, as I fell in love with this very minerally terroir with the release of the Auction Spatlese in 2001. The 2008 Trocken bottling will be the only wine made from this vineyard in this vintage and it is absolutely stellar, as it soars from the glass in a complex and vibrant melange of pink grapefruit, white cherries, lavender, a nice touch of wild yeasts and a scintillating base of complex minerality. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, crisp and laser-like in its focus, with zesty acidity and outstanding length and grip on the rapier finish. Terrific bottle of dry Riesling. 2012-2030. 92+."Martin Gillman

2009 Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Spatlese

Amongst the four brilliant Spätlesen that I tasted in 2009 from Helmut Dönnhoff, the Hermannshöhle is the pick of the litter this year. The wine offers up a brilliantly crystalline bouquet of sweet grapefruit, orange, a touch of wild yeasts, simply stunning minerality, citrus zest, dried flowers and just a brief glimpse of the petrol to come with bottle age. On the palate the wine is deep, medium-full and extremely long and dancing, with a great core, laser-like focus and magical length and grip on the seamless and utterly refined finish. A great, great wine. 2015-2040. 96."Martin Gillman View from the Cellar

2006 Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Beerenaus.

2008 Donnhoff Dellchen Grand Cru dry

Was $105. "As is the case with the Felsenberg above, all of the Dellchen bottled on its own has gone into this superb bottle of Grosses Gewachs in 2008. The bouquet is deep, pure and even more refined than in the Felsenberg, as it jumps from the glass in a blaze of orange, grapefruit, slate, incipient notes of petrol and a topnote of orange zest. On the palate the wine is full-bodied and very fine, with great nascent complexity, impeccable focus and balance, and stunning length and grip on the bright, snappy and utterly seamless finish. A beautiful wine in the making. 2014-2035. 93."Martin Gillman

2008 Donnhoff Hermannshole Grand Cru dry

Was $105. The 2008 Hermannshohle Grosses Gewachs is another stellar bottle in the making. Like the Dellchen, it weighs in at 12.5 percent alcohol (in comparison to the Felsenberg's twelve percent), and offers up a deep and stellar profile on both the nose and palate. The bouquet is a superb blend of grapefruit, a touch of red berries, slate, petrol, citrus peel and a gentle topnote of fruit blossoms. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and very discreet and elegant out of the blocks, with a rock solid core of fruit, brilliant focus and cut, and a very long, refined and laser-like finish. The Grosses Gewachs is all made from a parcel of sixty year-old vines on a base of pure grey slate, which adds a precision and transparency to the finished wine that is absolutely extraordinary in this vintage. The '08 is a much more refined young wine than the equally impressive 2007 version, and it will be very interesting to compare and contrast these two wines over the coming decades. 2016-2040. 93+."Martin Gillman

2008 Donnhoff Tonschiefer Troken(dry)

The Tonshiefer bottling of Trocken is a dynamite dry Riesling that is sourced from the Leistenberg vineyard in Oberhausen in its entirety this year, and it is a terrific bottle in the making. The wine weighs in at 11.5 percent alcohol (again all natural- no chapitalization for the dry wines this year at Weingut Donnhoff), and offers up a superb nose of grapefruit, fresh oranges, a very complex base of slate and a pungent topnote of orange blossoms. On the palate the wine is medium-bodied, crisp and nascently complex, with a lithesome, dancing filigree, a lovely core and excellent length and grip on the beautifully balanced finish. I would give this fine bottle a couple of years in the cellar to allow its secondary layers to emerge. High class juice and again a terrific value. 2011-2025. 89+."Martin Gillman

2009 Donnhoff Dellchen Dry

"The first of the stunning lineup of Grosses Gewächs in the cellars this year shown by Herr Dönnhoff was the magical Dellchen. This wine displays utterly profound depth in its aromatic mélange of sweet grapefruit, oranges, wild yeasts, glorious slate tones, citrus oils, incipient notes of petrol and a distinctive, smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and utterly refined, as it simply dances across the palate. The wine is rock solid at the core, delivers snappy acids, laser-like focus and a huge, racy and impeccably balanced finish that goes on and on and on. A great wine. 2013-2035+. 94+."Martin Gillman