20213041_WGDE2021_ENGL

WINE RANGE OF THE YEAR 2021
Helmut and Cornelius Dönnhoff catapulted
themselves into a new age
the Erste Lagen, not by projecting muscle
or power, but by differentiation. The Erste
Lagen themselves are not second wines, but
personalities of their own. The Kabinett
from the Niederhäuser Klamm is a real
Kabinett and not a downgraded Spätlese. If
you juxtapose the two Spätlesen from
Brücke und Hermannshöhle, the sites express
themselves as clearly as the Pradikat. Yes,
you almost cannot help but realise how
incidental the degree of sweetness in such
wines actually is. The ‘Tonschiefer’ Riesling
then takes us to the criterion of reliability:
even the wine with the lowest price of all
those that were presented for tasting reached
a score of 91 points. This proves it: even the
entry-level wine portrays the individuality
and style of the house and stands in
completely coherent relation to the top
wines in the range.
These latter wines crown this range with
numerous highlights: it was for seven
wines that the Falstaff tasting panel awarded
scores of 95 points and more. All of the
Grosse Gewächse have the potential for
ten and even twenty years of bottle age.
The two Auslesen – Brücke and the auction
wine ‘Einzelpfahl’, a selection from the
Hermannshöhle site, are the result of a
most meticulous selective process which,
at this level, is unusual even for top estates.
The botrytis captured in these selections is
veritable Haute Couture: once again it is
not about the most viscosity or the greatest
power but about the most delicate aromatics
possible and the sheer amount of
complexity.
We all take our hats off to Cornelius
Dönnhoff and congratulate him on this
truly sensational range of wines.
Highest quality natural corks are a
matter of course at Weingut Dönnhoff
Photos: Photography was provided
20 falstaff Wine Guide Germany 2021