Tag Archives: Donnhoff

Wine of the Day: Weingut Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Spatlese 2015 6-25-16

Weingut Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Spatlese, Nahe 2015 750ML SOLD OUT, ETA Fall 2016
Weingut Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Spatlese, Nahe 2015 1.5L SOLD OUT, ETA Fall 2016

donnnsad“Portland was host to a smattering of winemakers represented in the Terry Theise portfolio this week, none the least of whom was Anne Donnhoff sharing her entrancing range of 2015s. To say I tasted the wines quite young would be a bit of an understatement (many other winemakers were pouring barrel samples!) but there’s plenty to gleam from the youthful expressions Riesling in all its Pradikat guises.

“I could, and have, waxed poetic about this ethereal wine – the vineyard home of Donnhoff’s elusive eiswein. The vineyard is a monopole composed of grey slate on clay soil. This year’s Theise release grants us a Spatlese, Auslese Goldkapsel and, rumor has it, an Eiswein (stay tuned for that!).

“At the tasting, the Brucke Spatlese was poured after the Felsenberg Spatlese, which was fitting as it showed a touch sweeter on the palate with gentler acidity. The palate was creamier than the Felsenberg with a touch of the apple-skin-like texture I found in the wine’s 2013 release.

“It was the aroma in the glass that, like an old friend, brought a smile. Words escaped me for a few blessed moments while I sniffed. I was taken back to a few months ago when my little Meyer lemon tree blossomed. The scent from that day that filled my living room what not quite something to fit into words: certainly there were notes of citrus, a touch of Meyer lemon zest, and that haunting citrus-flower quality that evokes Proust’s remembrances of madeleines and lime flower tea. And here we find it, the word that best describes the Brucke wines: evocative.” -Suzanne

Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Eiswein 2011 – April 2016

Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Eiswein 2011Weingut Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Eiswein, Nahe, Germany 2011 375ML ($239.95) Buy Now: $139 special

Wine Advocate 92 points “Musk and leather; prickly radish and lemon rind; caramel apple and honey; passion fruit and mango inform an intense aromatic as well as ultra-concentrated palate performance. Unlike with so many other 2011s rendered from frozen grapes in early 2012, one can’t complain here about a lack of Eiswein-like acidity – but it takes-on a somewhat detached, slightly metallic and strident edge. Perhaps this extreme wine’s caramelized and animal aspects will reconcile themselves in time with its sharp citricity and radish-like sizzle, but the ways of Eiswein in the bottle are capricious.” WA

Donnhoff Riesling – September 2015

Robert Parker calls Helmut Donnhoff “unquestionably one of the stars” in the world of German Rieslings. Situated between the villages of Niederhausen and Schlossbockelheim in the middle Nahe, the Dönnhoff family has been making wine since 1750, with Helmut Dönnhoff in charge of winemaking at the estate since 1971.In 1999 Helmut was awarded Gault Millau and Feinschmecker Winemaker of the Year, and in 2005 was named Wine Personality of the Year by Wine Advocate. While there are many who can attest to Donnhoff’s talent, there is no one better to describe Helmut than himself: “I want the wines I make to contain a story, and the story I can offer is that of me at home in my landscape. Winemaking alone cannot bring quality, it can only retain the available quality. The concentration of all the flavors of the grape, especially the mineral extract, gives the wine its real taste and structure.” It is his effortless spirit in winemaking that makes both Helmut and his wines so highly revered. 

Find our extensive selection of Donnhoff Rieslings by clicking the SHOP VINOPOLIS NOW button to the right