Shared with friends, the least enthusiastic response was “oh wow!” This really was an amazing bottle that had completely integrated despite its youth. Still showing all the original fruit, but slimmed down just enough to show the facets rather than just the rough form. I never even got around to dissecting it for a fruit salad description, as it was just enthralling to bask in its charms. I suspect this could age effortlessly for decades, but I might drink up my other bottles in an effort to capture the magic again.
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Fantastic Spatlese from Donnhoff. Nose of apple, citrus, petrol. Medium+ sweet with high acidity leads to a great balance. Super tasty wine. 93 points.
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Prior bottle was a bit over 2 years ago and my notes remained very consistent, showing just how long-lived this wine will be. Nose shows white appear and pear along with crunchy white peach and the same smokey/saline/citrus quality from my prior bottle. A bit above medium bodied with rounded white apple, slightly brightly white pear leading the way. Mid-body is a swirling combination of rounded, white orchard fruit, slightly brighter notes and some richer notes of white peach and white tropical that are slowly coming into focus. This complexity and depth are supported by lemon, strong lime and other citrus notes as well as vibrant acidity. The lime note in particular lingers through the finish. This wine is opening up nicely through the mid-body with more complexity than my prior bottle and slightly better definition to the fruit while preserving the strength of the acidity and citrus qualities. This wine has many years in front of it and I'll plan to open my next bottle no sooner than late Fall 2023 and hopefully, later (with patience).
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Gamay and Famille Paquet (Chicago, IL): #14-19. Very sappy and ripe, with an almost chewy amount of minerality on the back end. A fantastic, if riper, edition of one of my favourite rieslings.
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Expected a little more edge and intensity, especially at this early date. Got a fluffy lime-and-biscuit treat instead. I think the residual sugar may need a little time to integrate, but everything else is pretty well in balance.
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Two years in the cellar has brought a lot of integration, and ultimately significant harmony to what was initially a rather angular wine. Tropical fruit tones, salty minerals, and a long, persistently fruity finish makes for a “this doesn’t suck” reaction from Laura. That is of course the highest praise a wine can receive. Drink now and for the next thirty years. It’s rich, balanced and has the material to go the distance.
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Smokey white orchard fruits and rich citrus notes on the very pretty nose. Perhaps a touch above medium bodied (8% ABV) with white apple and other orchard fruits upfront, moving to white pineapple and other tropical notes through the middle. There's excellent density and richness through the middle but when combined with the acidity and citrus notes on the backside, the result is a wine of restrained complexity with only the lightest touch of sweetness. The vibrancy of the acidity works quite well with the mid-body fruit. There's a lot more nuance to be revealed here (and which I'll enjoy in time), but for now the contrast makes for an incredibly rewarding and interesting bottle. I'll plan to open my next bottle in Fall 2022.
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Note is after storage in fridge for 24 hours after opening. Infanticide to drink this now, but clearly shows the wonderful future ahead. Very light color. Nose is subtle, showing quince and lime faintly. Nicely concentrated and complex in the mouth with a melange of juicy tropical fruit. Near perfect balance of acidity, fruit, and minerality. Very long life ahead. 5-12-18-9: 94/100.
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Tasted as part of the 2018 Riesling tasting presented by the German Wine Society Smoky nose with fine grained acidity; still not much palate feel but more vibrant than the Oberhäuser Bruecke. Sone tingling feel on the palate. To me certainly not powerful and rich as described by other tasters.... Makes me wonder...
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A lovely, powerful and rich Spätlese. I won’t overload the adjectives here, other have described the diverse flavors well. But this was a very satisfying young Riesling, with an especially interesting tart acidic mineral laden finish over the sweetness of the mid-palate. Excellent.
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Bought a few bottles and decided to try one. Loved it. Comparing to an average, but decent German riesling, it feels like listening to a live orchestra vs. a portable radio. The range is just so much different. Even though this is very young, it is super enjoyable.
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Superb effort. Very bright and youthful nose. Lovely minerality and floral character, combined with soft tropical fruits. Great acidic backbone. This is clearly a step up from any kabinett and one of the best spätlese I've had. For me, it doesn't have quite the richness and depth of flavour that the Geltz Zilliken provides. It's also a little too pricey (especially considering the latter wine). Irrespective, this is a wonderful wine that will provide pleasure for a long, long time.
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One of the better performing Spatleses in recent memory. Super bright and energetic on the nose. Very ripe wine, but has a fuller profile and the sweetness that makes it better. Super precise wine. Loved the sweet stone fruit, citrus, and flintiness. Extremely easy to crush glasses of this. Will certainly age effortlessly.
Paired wonderfully with homemade gumbo served by @Vietty.
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bright light lemon color, tight at first and so aired 4 hours before tasting, lovely nose of pineapple, peach and rose petals, on the palate playful primary peach fruit leading into a deep and almost fiery black cherry note layered over a pool of green apple and citrus that more gently flows into an excellent long finish of soft stones and lemony acids with electric hints of blueberry, towards the end- some gravelly textures develop hinting at the glories still in hiding, like many 18s this is generous and friendly- but with signs of great quality and complexity yet to come, as attractive- and even fiery by Donnhoff standards- as it is today, this promises to blossom into a very fine Spatlese with a little rest in the cellar, that said- this is one vintage where there is no shame in enjoying a bottle or two now, just give it plenty of air first.
**(**)+, 2023-2038.
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Pære og fersken på duft, hint av lime. Kanskje noe petro. Fyldig og viskøs i munnen, med relativt sett lite syre. Blir derfor litt tung i forhold til vår foretrukne syre/sødmebalanse. Litt grapefrukt i ettersmaken.
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Nose: The nose is fresh, yet deep and intense with White peaches, green apples, crushed rocks, acacia flowers, white fruits, pears, and nectarines. When I wrote vibrant in notes, this nose perfectly sums up that feeling and expression.
Taste: The feel is Lighter bodied with tart, high acidity. There is a real deftness to the feel along with deep tones of white peaches, green apples, crushed rocks, acacia flowers, pears, and nectarines.
Overall: This is a flat out gorgeous, young Spatlese. There wasn’t any time to give this much air, though it didn’t feel like that it was needed. It feels like it will have a wide open drinking window as it is immensely enjoyable even now.
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Quarantine; 3/12/2020-5/29/2020 (Chicago, IL): #14-19, 8% abv. Quite an expressive nose with a focus on fruit. There is a slight hint of tropicality here but also a Mosel-like green apple inflection. The palate holds the Prädikat line well, but you can definitely feel the relative ripeness of the fruit here. Crispy acids on the finish. This seems to be in line with the relative quality I expect from this bottling, especially at so young an age. I'll be most interested in revisiting this with some bottle age.
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Wow this was amazing. Great intensity. Wonderful balance between sweetness and racing acidity. Will buy more. Is it possible this get even better With time..
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Lychee, peach and a little touch of under ripe pineapple dominate the nose on the wine, but the back end is a stony, racy mineral bath. Plenty of youthful sweetness, so look to a long development curve, and a glorious future maybe 10-15 years down the road. It's pretty electric, so not for the faint of heart.
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Pear and white peach fruit with a good amount of sweetness but also acidity. Has a lovely mineral touch. Quite powerful and in a good balance. Could use a few more years to balance out a bit but overall a great wine!
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4/21/2024 - Rieslingfan wrote:
Shared with friends, the least enthusiastic response was “oh wow!” This really was an amazing bottle that had completely integrated despite its youth. Still showing all the original fruit, but slimmed down just enough to show the facets rather than just the rough form. I never even got around to dissecting it for a fruit salad description, as it was just enthralling to bask in its charms. I suspect this could age effortlessly for decades, but I might drink up my other bottles in an effort to capture the magic again.
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3/14/2024 - Bbrown82 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Fantastic Spatlese from Donnhoff. Nose of apple, citrus, petrol. Medium+ sweet with high acidity leads to a great balance. Super tasty wine. 93 points.
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8/4/2023 - canan wrote: 92 Points
Absolutely lovely but certainly on the sweet side due to the vintage. Good flavor depth and a lovely acidity.
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1/6/2023 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 93 Points
Prior bottle was a bit over 2 years ago and my notes remained very consistent, showing just how long-lived this wine will be. Nose shows white appear and pear along with crunchy white peach and the same smokey/saline/citrus quality from my prior bottle. A bit above medium bodied with rounded white apple, slightly brightly white pear leading the way. Mid-body is a swirling combination of rounded, white orchard fruit, slightly brighter notes and some richer notes of white peach and white tropical that are slowly coming into focus. This complexity and depth are supported by lemon, strong lime and other citrus notes as well as vibrant acidity. The lime note in particular lingers through the finish. This wine is opening up nicely through the mid-body with more complexity than my prior bottle and slightly better definition to the fruit while preserving the strength of the acidity and citrus qualities. This wine has many years in front of it and I'll plan to open my next bottle no sooner than late Fall 2023 and hopefully, later (with patience).
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6/1/2022 - Milkandmeat Likes this wine: 93 Points
Big,floral offering with green apple, citrus notes.
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3/17/2022 - acyso wrote:
Gamay and Famille Paquet (Chicago, IL): #14-19. Very sappy and ripe, with an almost chewy amount of minerality on the back end. A fantastic, if riper, edition of one of my favourite rieslings.
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3/5/2022 - Stephan O Likes this wine: 91 Points
Expected a little more edge and intensity, especially at this early date. Got a fluffy lime-and-biscuit treat instead. I think the residual sugar may need a little time to integrate, but everything else is pretty well in balance.
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12/20/2021 - Rieslingfan wrote:
Two years in the cellar has brought a lot of integration, and ultimately significant harmony to what was initially a rather angular wine. Tropical fruit tones, salty minerals, and a long, persistently fruity finish makes for a “this doesn’t suck” reaction from Laura. That is of course the highest praise a wine can receive. Drink now and for the next thirty years. It’s rich, balanced and has the material to go the distance.
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12/3/2021 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 93 Points
Smokey white orchard fruits and rich citrus notes on the very pretty nose. Perhaps a touch above medium bodied (8% ABV) with white apple and other orchard fruits upfront, moving to white pineapple and other tropical notes through the middle. There's excellent density and richness through the middle but when combined with the acidity and citrus notes on the backside, the result is a wine of restrained complexity with only the lightest touch of sweetness. The vibrancy of the acidity works quite well with the mid-body fruit. There's a lot more nuance to be revealed here (and which I'll enjoy in time), but for now the contrast makes for an incredibly rewarding and interesting bottle. I'll plan to open my next bottle in Fall 2022.
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10/16/2021 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine:
Note is after storage in fridge for 24 hours after opening. Infanticide to drink this now, but clearly shows the wonderful future ahead. Very light color. Nose is subtle, showing quince and lime faintly. Nicely concentrated and complex in the mouth with a melange of juicy tropical fruit. Near perfect balance of acidity, fruit, and minerality. Very long life ahead. 5-12-18-9: 94/100.
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9/17/2021 - Bandreas wrote:
Tasted as part of the 2018 Riesling tasting presented by the German Wine Society
Smoky nose with fine grained acidity; still not much palate feel but more vibrant than the Oberhäuser Bruecke.
Sone tingling feel on the palate. To me certainly not powerful and rich as described by other tasters....
Makes me wonder...
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3/4/2021 - Richard P Howden Likes this wine: 93 Points
A lovely, powerful and rich Spätlese. I won’t overload the adjectives here, other have described the diverse flavors well. But this was a very satisfying young Riesling, with an especially interesting tart acidic mineral laden finish over the sweetness of the mid-palate. Excellent.
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1/16/2021 - probraided Likes this wine:
Bought a few bottles and decided to try one. Loved it. Comparing to an average, but decent German riesling, it feels like listening to a live orchestra vs. a portable radio. The range is just so much different. Even though this is very young, it is super enjoyable.
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12/25/2020 - 99tollap wrote: 93 Points
Superb effort. Very bright and youthful nose. Lovely minerality and floral character, combined with soft tropical fruits. Great acidic backbone. This is clearly a step up from any kabinett and one of the best spätlese I've had. For me, it doesn't have quite the richness and depth of flavour that the Geltz Zilliken provides. It's also a little too pricey (especially considering the latter wine). Irrespective, this is a wonderful wine that will provide pleasure for a long, long time.
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11/14/2020 - Satoshi Nakamoto wrote: 91 Points
One of the better performing Spatleses in recent memory. Super bright and energetic on the nose. Very ripe wine, but has a fuller profile and the sweetness that makes it better. Super precise wine. Loved the sweet stone fruit, citrus, and flintiness. Extremely easy to crush glasses of this. Will certainly age effortlessly.
Paired wonderfully with homemade gumbo served by @Vietty.
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11/3/2020 - Vietty Likes this wine:
Bright intense fruit, peaches and melon draped over subtle underlying stone. Lasting high quality finish. Drinking youthfully, very easy to enjoy.
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10/31/2020 - Elpaninaro Likes this wine:
bright light lemon color, tight at first and so aired 4 hours before tasting, lovely nose of pineapple, peach and rose petals, on the palate playful primary peach fruit leading into a deep and almost fiery black cherry note layered over a pool of green apple and citrus that more gently flows into an excellent long finish of soft stones and lemony acids with electric hints of blueberry, towards the end- some gravelly textures develop hinting at the glories still in hiding, like many 18s this is generous and friendly- but with signs of great quality and complexity yet to come, as attractive- and even fiery by Donnhoff standards- as it is today, this promises to blossom into a very fine Spatlese with a little rest in the cellar, that said- this is one vintage where there is no shame in enjoying a bottle or two now, just give it plenty of air first.
**(**)+, 2023-2038.
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8/18/2020 - daghaug Likes this wine:
Pære og fersken på duft, hint av lime. Kanskje noe petro. Fyldig og viskøs i munnen, med relativt sett lite syre. Blir derfor litt tung i forhold til vår foretrukne syre/sødmebalanse. Litt grapefrukt i ettersmaken.
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8/7/2020 - KeithAkers wrote: 93 Points
Nose: The nose is fresh, yet deep and intense with White peaches, green apples, crushed rocks, acacia flowers, white fruits, pears, and nectarines. When I wrote vibrant in notes, this nose perfectly sums up that feeling and expression.
Taste: The feel is Lighter bodied with tart, high acidity. There is a real deftness to the feel along with deep tones of white peaches, green apples, crushed rocks, acacia flowers, pears, and nectarines.
Overall: This is a flat out gorgeous, young Spatlese. There wasn’t any time to give this much air, though it didn’t feel like that it was needed. It feels like it will have a wide open drinking window as it is immensely enjoyable even now.
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5/12/2020 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
Quarantine; 3/12/2020-5/29/2020 (Chicago, IL): #14-19, 8% abv. Quite an expressive nose with a focus on fruit. There is a slight hint of tropicality here but also a Mosel-like green apple inflection. The palate holds the Prädikat line well, but you can definitely feel the relative ripeness of the fruit here. Crispy acids on the finish. This seems to be in line with the relative quality I expect from this bottling, especially at so young an age. I'll be most interested in revisiting this with some bottle age.
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4/28/2020 - The_big_boss wrote: 93 Points
Wow this was amazing. Great intensity. Wonderful balance between sweetness and racing acidity. Will buy more. Is it possible this get even better With time..
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1/1/2020 - Rieslingfan wrote:
Lychee, peach and a little touch of under ripe pineapple dominate the nose on the wine, but the back end is a stony, racy mineral bath. Plenty of youthful sweetness, so look to a long development curve, and a glorious future maybe 10-15 years down the road. It's pretty electric, so not for the faint of heart.
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12/23/2019 - canan wrote: 93 Points
Pear and white peach fruit with a good amount of sweetness but also acidity.
Has a lovely mineral touch. Quite powerful and in a good balance. Could use a few more years to balance out a bit but overall a great wine!
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6/4/2019 - rossi.wine wrote: 96 Points
[14 19] Fantastic concentration and depth. Superbly well balanced - acidity, fruit, minerality in near perfect harmony. Very long and fine. 95-96+
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6/4/2019 - vespasian wrote:
Mineral peardrops on the nose; quite intense. Complete. Powerful. Lovely mineral thread. All in balance.
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