What a lovely Spätlese. I find it to be very true to its Prädikat, with a suave lightness and a striking balance between sugar and acidity. It's not as concentrated as it perhaps could've been, but it's not an issue, as the wine is harmonious. If you have several bottles, try one now. If you only have one, I'd wait another 3-5 years, or even 10 if you prefer mature wines.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drinking nicely right now. Very floral bouquet on the nose, flavors of orange, apricot, honey, and white peach on the palate. Wine has moderate sweetness, balanced by moderate acidity, minerally mouthfeel that balances the acidity. Overall well balanced though a touch more acidity wouldn’t hurt. Nice wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Light pale golden yellow in color. Full, forward & fragrant nose of ripe fruit aromas of yellow peaches, apricots & apples with overtones of floral notes, minerals, some spices & a hint of honey in the background. Medium-full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, zesty, ripe fruit flavors of stone fruits of yellow peaches, nectarines & lemons/lime with minerals, spices & a hint of honey. Great balance between the sweetness & firm acidity. Lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present but has the potential to develop further with additional aging at which time it might rate higher. [A.P. Nr. 7753010 10 17; Alc. 8%]
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Early days here. As such the dominant character is peach laced with cherry. It’s fairly light on its feet, with only moderate sweetness. Cornelius Dönnhoff seems to be backing off the levels of RS in the portfolio, resulting in more transparent wines, especially in their youth. The sweetness does not mask the bones of the wine as much as it did in some prior vintages.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Young but very versatile wine, I.e. good with a variety of dishes including salmon, cheese and even red meats. Lots of minerality with apple and peach, a little spicinesss (I want to say nutmeg or cinnamon) and an expansive finish.
I’ve had Donnhoff spateleses from 2004, 2912 and 2016 lately they all show really well
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A Visit with Helmut Dönnhoff (Oberhausen, Germany): Not much nose - good Riesling lite. Sweet and precise all at once. Not complex, but good. A very relaxed wine. Meyer lemons on the finish and nice precision. I seem to have trouble wrapping around Spatleses.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Rieslingfeier Grand Tasting (New York City, NY): At this point in time this wine feels a little simplistic. It's not too concentrated but there's a good amount of fruit still. The sweetness is also a little bit muted, and for all the talk of Prädikat creep, this is certainly a bottle of Spätlese that doesn't have that problem. I'd be inclined to give this a few years to see if more complexity develops.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
8/15/2023 - Pearcebarr wrote: 91 Points
Exceptional. Concentrated, but not overpowering. Balanced, but not boring. White flowers, slate, blue cheese, and loads of lemon. Great wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/26/2022 - Rallerboy888 Likes this wine: 90 Points
What a lovely Spätlese. I find it to be very true to its Prädikat, with a suave lightness and a striking balance between sugar and acidity. It's not as concentrated as it perhaps could've been, but it's not an issue, as the wine is harmonious. If you have several bottles, try one now. If you only have one, I'd wait another 3-5 years, or even 10 if you prefer mature wines.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/16/2021 - HFLED Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drinking nicely right now. Very floral bouquet on the nose, flavors of orange, apricot, honey, and white peach on the palate. Wine has moderate sweetness, balanced by moderate acidity, minerally mouthfeel that balances the acidity. Overall well balanced though a touch more acidity wouldn’t hurt. Nice wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/7/2020 - DrZett wrote: 91 Points
The wine has lots of lemon and some tropical fruit notes in the nose and on the palate. Nice fresh acidity and a balanced sweetness. Good length.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/21/2020 - Matt T wrote: 92 Points
Really impressive with a medley of tropical fruit on a medium to long finish. Even better on the second night.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/17/2019 - Matt T wrote: 91 Points
A lot of stone fruit and good acid and minerality. Should continue to improve.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/12/2018 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 91 Points
Light pale golden yellow in color. Full, forward & fragrant nose of ripe fruit aromas of yellow peaches, apricots & apples with overtones of floral notes, minerals, some spices & a hint of honey in the background. Medium-full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, zesty, ripe fruit flavors of stone fruits of yellow peaches, nectarines & lemons/lime with minerals, spices & a hint of honey. Great balance between the sweetness & firm acidity. Lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present but has the potential to develop further with additional aging at which time it might rate higher. [A.P. Nr. 7753010 10 17; Alc. 8%]
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/12/2018 - Rieslingfan wrote:
Early days here. As such the dominant character is peach laced with cherry. It’s fairly light on its feet, with only moderate sweetness. Cornelius Dönnhoff seems to be backing off the levels of RS in the portfolio, resulting in more transparent wines, especially in their youth. The sweetness does not mask the bones of the wine as much as it did in some prior vintages.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/5/2018 - azscot wrote: 90 Points
Young but very versatile wine, I.e. good with a variety of dishes including salmon, cheese and even red meats. Lots of minerality with apple and peach, a little spicinesss (I want to say nutmeg or cinnamon) and an expansive finish.
I’ve had Donnhoff spateleses from 2004, 2912 and 2016 lately they all show really well
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/16/2018 - Chris6262 wrote:
This wine is still too young as the flavors were not concentrated. I’d give it a handful more years to age.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/2/2018 - AndrewSGHall wrote:
A Visit with Helmut Dönnhoff (Oberhausen, Germany): Not much nose - good Riesling lite. Sweet and precise all at once. Not complex, but good. A very relaxed wine. Meyer lemons on the finish and nice precision. I seem to have trouble wrapping around Spatleses.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/27/2018 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
Rieslingfeier Grand Tasting (New York City, NY): At this point in time this wine feels a little simplistic. It's not too concentrated but there's a good amount of fruit still. The sweetness is also a little bit muted, and for all the talk of Prädikat creep, this is certainly a bottle of Spätlese that doesn't have that problem. I'd be inclined to give this a few years to see if more complexity develops.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment