From: Nahe, Germany
Varietal: Riesling
Tasting Notes: Green and flinty in the glass, this Reisling offers aromas of green apple, pear and a kiss of chamomile. Fresh and off-dry with a crunchy acidity. Lime zest, crisp green apple, and wet stone with a lick of salt are all held within the glossy juicy finish. An opulent Riesling no doubt!
Pairing: Clean sashimi sushi, prawn cocktail, Thai seafood dishes, and fresh crab with lemon and butter for dipping are all fantastic seafood choices. Fish sauce chicken wings, Thai beef salad or pork and homemade apple sauce are delicious meaty accompaniments. Vegetarians (or omnivores) may enjoy lightly pickled vegetables if drinking this as an aperitif, as well as spicy stir fried vegetables! I recommend these Fish-Sauce-and-Black-Pepper Chicken Wings by Mark Bittman, with quick pickled carrots and shallots. Yum!
About: Weingut Dönnhoff is an estate in the Nahe region of the Rhineland. It is often regarded as one of Germany's very best producers, famous for the high-quality of its wines which are made predominantly from Riesling.
The wine portfolio includes single-vineyard wines and estate wines with approximately 10,000 cases produced each vintage. Dönnhoff is one of only three German estates to receive a 100-point rating from Robert Parker, for the 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2010 vintages of its Riesling Eiswein.
The estate is located at Oberhausen in the Riesling heartland of Nahe. There are around 20 hectares (50 acres) of vineyard, with a healthy proportion of Erste Lage sites. Some 80 percent of production is the Riesling grape, which is planted on rocky, volcanic soils, giving the wines balanced acidity and intense minerality.
Winemaking is simple at Dönnhoff. Whole-bunch pressing is followed by 10-18 hours of settling, then fermentation in casks or stainless steel tanks. After resting on lees, the wines are filtered in the March after vintage and are bottled a few months later.
The Dönnhoff family has been making wine in this region since the 1750s. However, since Helmut Dönnhoff took over in 1971, the estate has been built up step-by-step from 4ha (10 ac) to its current size. Its reputation has increased in similar proportions. Helmut has been described as a "superstar" by Robert Parker and as having a "fanatical commitment to quality, and a remarkable natural talent for winemaking" by British wine writer Hugh Johnson.
