A 'German year' on the Nahe
It was a 'German year', jokes Cornelius Dönnhoff, 'wet'. After four consecutive hot, dry vintages, in 2021 a mild spring on the Nahe was followed by a rainy summer. It meant all hands on deck in the vineyard. Warm, wet conditions are ideal for fungal diseases. To stop these spreading, the Dönnhoffs had to completely adapt the style of vineyard work they have used in recent years. They trimmed and opened out canopies to allow as much air as possible to circulate. 'It was sweaty work, but it paid off'. In September, the weather turned dry, and they guided the season to a beautiful, late close. Yields were reduced, but the fruit they brought in was very high-quality.
You'd expect no less from this family, of course. The Dönnhoffs are in the front-rank of German winemaking, and a concern for quality reigns supreme here. They've been making wine since the 1750s. Cornelius is the latest member of his family to run the estate; he was named German Winemaker of the Year almost as soon as he had started.
On tasting, the 2021s seem so effortlessly carried off that you'd never guess how much hard vineyard work is behind them. The dry styles marry lemon and lime notes with intense minerality. The off-dry styles are more about stonefruit and spice, but up and down the range these wines are marked by their racy acidity, their precision and intensity. This is a glorious set of wines. /NT
Offered subject to remaining unsold; available Spring 2023
