'Extraordinary wines are based on extraordinary vineyards,' says Helmut Dönnhoff, 'and I'm fortunate to have had the opportunity to work several world-class sites.' In point of fact, the Dönnhoffs have vineyards in nine Grosse Lagen (grand cru) sites in the Nahe Valley. They are easily the best vintners in the Nahe, and are often listed as among Germany's very best.
After training abroad, Helmut's son Cornelius took over in 2007 (and was named German Winemaker of the Year almost immediately). Cornelius reflects that his experience in Australia (where he worked with 'the King of Riesling', Jeffrey Grosset) and in New Zealand was great preparation for working the hotter vintages that have become the norm in Germany. When Helmut was a young man, he did everything possible in the vineyard to encourage ripeness; nowadays, ripeness is never a problem, and Cornelius' focus is all about making sure the grapes retain enough acidity.
In the Nahe as elsewhere, 2022 was hot, sunny and very dry. Younger vines suffered badly, and the Dönnhoffs took the decision to drop the fruit from their youngest vines to give them some relief. Even the more resilient older vines began to shut down. But that worked in the Dönnhoffs' favour, as it meant ripening slowed down, which kept acidity levels high. Finally, some rain arrived in September and cooler nights set in, leading to a beautiful harvest in the first half of October. As a result of the slowdown in ripening and the Dönnhoffs' careful vineyard management, their 2022s show no signs of having been produced in a hot year. They are wines of great precision and clarity. /NT
Offered subject to remaining unsold
