Glass: Zalto Bordeaux Popped and poured, drunk over three days. Clear, medium golden color. Clean, pronounced, developing nose with clear, ripe fruit, zests and mineral notes. Very complex, deep and intoxicating. Dry, high, ripe acidity. On the palate lots of warm ripe fruit, red berries, ripe lemon and liquid stones all over. What a tension and grip! Pure energy and also wonderful elegance and a beautiful balance. Finish is looong, very mineral with lots of ripe stone fruit and ripe lemon- Certainly at its full peak, can’t imagine that it can get any better. But certainly no hurry! 95-96
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Giallo oro, carico, naso turbinio di profumi dalla nafta alla frutta tropicale alle spezie verdi pepate, bocca grossa, spessa, generoso, richiama il naso, manca un poco di spina acida, ma forse pagava di avere labet accanto.
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Quite often wine gets nitpicked to death. Is something lacking? Is it to much? Is it 93 or 94 points? In an attempt to take in everything a wine has on offer can result in seeing a lot of trees but not the forest. However, Dönnhoffs Hermannshöhle just cruises in and puts on THE show. It manages to present itself without any deviations, it’s completely harmonious and elegant and yet intriguing and complex, giving food for thought. The fruit is lovely, a mix of grape, lime, stonefruit and pineapple. The minerals have a whiff of gunpowder, but also slate and limestone. The driving force is the acidity, it powers everything ahead like an arrow shot from a bow - straight into the blue. Lovely now, will surely hold for quite a few years more.
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Asperg Wine Syndrome Tasting Group: Only two guys and some wine: Glass: Zalto Universal Popped and poured, drunk over three days. Clear, medium golden color. Clean, medium+ intense, developing nose. Liquid stone! Ripe yellow stone fruit, mixed with fresh herbs. Very deep, dense and complex. Awesome nose, that is continuously changing. Dry, high, ripe acidity. On the palate lots of warm ripe fruit, red berries, ripe lemon and liquid stones all over. What a tension and grip! Pure energy and also wonderful elegance and a beautiful balance. Finish is looong, very mineral with lots of ripe stone fruit and ripe lemon- Certainly at its full peak, can’t imagine that it can get any better. But certainly no hurry! 95
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Well. this was delicious. drank over two nights: night one it was the perfect wine for petrol riesling lovers. balanced, mineral driven, but fruit maybe slightly behind the minerality. night two the stone fruit character shined through a bit more and it was so balanced.
I would hold if you can keep your hands off of it. this is still on an upswing and definitely in no risk of a downhill anytime soon. I'm gonna say 2025-2060, but only because I HAVE to put an end date. Riesling like this lives forever.
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Light gold, with both nose and palate reflecting "great year" characteristics of 2009. Big, effusive, lovely nose of honey, ripe nectarine, apricot, subtle background florals. Perfectly balanced acidity to what seemed like some residual sugar, despite the Trocken designation and 13% abv. I guessed abv to be slightly lower. Not easily identifiable as Trocken (a compliment) between the balance and some aging. More like a unique Kabinett style.
Can it age? Certainly. But clearly it's at (a) peak. An archetypical example of what makes German wines so great, when they are well made and from great vintages. The nose was so good, you could pass it around, and people would enjoy much of the quality without drinking it. Similar sensation when faced with a plate of warmed shaved white truffles; a transcendent smell.
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Yellow gold color. Lemons and apricots and stones, again. Good acidity persists, with amazing freshness. Paired superbly with asparagus and Hollandaise sauce, alongside Petit Poussin off the grill, but seemed harshly acidic in the afterglow, on its own.
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Popped, poured, consumed over next two hours. Took about 20 minutes to open. Great balance, complexity, and personality with a chalky, lingering finish.
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Merry Christmas Eve! Super GG. Pure gold. Grapes and apricots in the nose mixed with plenty of white stones. Roundish pallet that has many layers of sunny fruit (actually a bit of sweetness on the initial attack) and complementing acidity. In a perfect place with a very tidy finish. Not quite fireworks but close. (94)
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Another lovely dry Riesling from the fine 2009 vintage tried this 3 weeks ago with the falseness 09 , the herm donnhoff was so pure and crisp layered mineral not as powerful as the felseneck in fruit depth yet it danced on the tongue this is a dry Riesling to try
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Final bottle from a three bottle lot. Impressive but not right up there with the very best vintages. It’s now fully mature, and the warmth of the growing season gives it a creamy, almost honeyed aspect which distracts from the minerally precision in which this vineyard excels, even though the spicy slate still pervades the wine. There is no lack of vibrant acidity, but on the finish a slight lack of drive and energy is noticeable. But I am nit-picking here: this is an amazing GG in full bloom.
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Lovely rich medium golden yellow straw color. High acid still keeps this young and lively. Very slight hint of petrol then white flowers and tropical fruits and a touch of pear and citrus zest on the nose. Palate is complex, long and chewy with lemon zest, ripe guava, green apple and a lot of Asian pear on the lengthy finish. Some creaminess to the texture. Bright energetic and delicious with or without food. It was quite nice with a Salmon Tartar and tarragon cream sauce.
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Truly delicious. White peaches, citrus, perhaps a hint of apricot, and stones in an increasingly complex palate. Very long finish. Only thing I’d ask for was a touch more acidity...(oh, and some crab from the loch to pair with it!)
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For some reason, I waited three-and-a-half years before opening another bottle. This is now at perfect peak, a wonderfully exact representation of vineyard, vintage and winegrower. Owing to the warm vintage, it sacrifices some mineral precision and finesse for more generosity and weight, it is fresh but rounded and harmonious. The finish is not as persistent as in cooler vintages with higher acidity, but the bitters which slightly worried me in 2016 seem to have vanished. Drink soon.
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Nahe^3: 10 vintages of Halenberg, Hermannshöhle and Felseneck + X (@Private location, Frankfurt): *** brief note from an extensive tasting *** Glass: Gabriel Gold Tasted blind. Bottle opened about 2-4h before, double decanted before serving. Pale golden yellow color. Almost twin vintage to 2007. Liquid stone on nose and palate with a fantastic, vibrant energy, pressure and tension. Maybe a bit less energy, but still very impressive. Very long finish. Still very (too?) young with great upscale potential. 94-95++ Quite similar to the exact same flight we had a month ago.
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Dry riesling at Qing Xiang Yuan (Chicago, IL): #27-10, 13% abv. This was clearly more advanced than it should have been. Overall, this was a little tired and flat, with the fruit somewhat dull.
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“Ten Years After” 2009 Dry Riesling Tasting (Private Location): The Hermannshöhle was the most "favourable" wine in this flight. Lots of fruit upfront, dominated by passion fruit, mango and some pineapple. On the palate good mineral core and tension. A good but not a very good Hermannshöhle imo. Lacks the precision. I´m not sure if it will improve much in the future.
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10 years after Riesling tasting - 2009 (@Private location, Esslingen): Glass: Zalto Universal *** just some brief notes, no full details, rating in context of the vertical tasting *** Opened about 10h before, not decanted. Tasted blind. Youthful pale golden color. HH and Halenberg had a hard stand in this flight against the amazing Felseneck. All wines in this flight were a step up from the previous Morstein flight. Wonderful nose, great balance, round, wonderful length. Lacks a bit of the vibrant energy and tension of the Felseneck, but still very good. No need to hurry. 94+
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Popped and poured. Light golden colour. Displays a pleasant albeit fairly reticent bouquet of grapefruit, moist gravel and a touch of petroleum. On the palate, however, flavours are turned up to ten – sweet tropical fruit, a little grapefruit bitterness, pronounced minerality and sufficient (though for a Riesling relatively modest) acidity. Has the power, depth and balance you would expect from a wine of this calibre. Still feels fairly young at ten years of age, and will probably drink well into the late 2020’ies. I must admit that Rieslings have fallen a little out of favour with me over the last few years (too much petroleum and the characteristic pungency that tends to dominate the more power-packed wines are to blame), but this one certainly makes me reconsider my prejudices.
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Medium light hay in color, lovely light petrol and floral, honeyed fruit nose; deeply flavored, rich, with a complex savoriness, just enough balancing acidity, and a long, lasting finish, where some minerality pokes through, then the mouthwatering savory character takes over as the finish fades very slowly.
Might not have the cut and crispness of cooler vintages, but the intensity and depth almost make up for that.
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Dinner with the wine group (Aicha, San Francisco): Incredible aromatics, peach, lemon-lime, salinity; palate is dry, white fruit that fades through the midpalate, medium richness; clean minerality on the finish. Lovely wine, but I do like just a touch of sweetness for more complexity on the palate. 90
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Medium gold color. Nose showing spice, orchard fruits, citrus. Rich, dense palate showing baked apples, peaches, dried apricot smoke notes. Elegant wine, well made and at the beginning of its drinking window - should age nicely for a while if wanting to cellar
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Boxing Day dinner with family members. From a magnum. The fruit element has really emerged since its last outing at Xmas two years ago. Vibrant apple with a whiff of peach and the exotic. More viscous, richer than the last from memory but with the fabled minerality and core acidity still holding the wine in the (just) dry bracket. Long. Very fine indeed. I suspect a wine that will evolve rather than improve much further with age. Will leave for a couple of years to check progress.
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This has matured into a golden, slightly sweet and quite rich wine wich nonetheless retains an air of elegance and lightness, tip-toeing over the palate but with each step leaving powerfull impression: ripe lemons, apples, quince, honesuckle. There is also an obvious mineral component with crushed stone and light smoke giving depth and complexity. No diesel to speak of. Good lenght.
Aromas of honey, peach, dried citrus and minerals. Soft, rich and concentrated, but also delicate and elegant. I guess the amount of residual sugar is closer to 10 than 0 g/l.
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Very concentrated and quite monolithic. Big boy as usual in 09 . Not really balanced! Lacking some crispy acid to let it dance on your tongue. This wine just sits !!!!
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Simply gorgeous nose, full of mineral and wisteria, late arriving note of honey. Though not especially high in acid, I love the way a crystalline quartz quality dominates the palate, leaving a long impression of both mineral and stone, off set by just the slightest touch of peach. Perfect balance. Absolutely fine to open soon, but has another 20 years of good drinking ahead.
Sweet nose, and an appealing dry palate. Opened 24 hours in advance and left in the bottle. Nose offers lightest petrol, melons and jackfruit. Lower acid finish with light sweetness.
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This was from my cellar and was a notch below the bottle that I had in a restaurant last week. Mine was less evolved, so I think my bottles will get there, too. Salty mineralogy, citrus, whitecurrant. Great.
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Doing well right now. Double decanted, with additional 2h in the bottle. Glass: Gabriel. This time shining even brighter, more herbal and floral, smooth creamy mouthfeel, balanced well by a more precise acidity and more tension than the last bottle. No wax, no pain...beautiful wine. 93-94
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Drank out of a magnum. Very balanced and surprisingly mineral. Reminds me to several great 2010 GGs rather than other 2009s. Drinking very well right now.
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Drank over two days from Quatrophil Bdx. Very interesting nose of kerosene, rubber, smoke, slate, tropic and citrus fruits, alongside some floral and herbal reminiscents. Powerful, long spicy mineral finish. Just a slightly beeswaxish tone and the acidity seemed a little bit softened. Early mature? Flawed bottle? I will check again soon over xmas.
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Sweet floral nose. Nice core of (slightly sweet) yellow-fruits along with a good dose of minerality. I'd had preferred it more had it been fresher (higher acidity). Nonetheless, still very enjoyable.
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Once again, Helmut Dönnhoff managed to eke out an amazingly exact representation of vine, vineyard and vintage with this Hermannshöhle 2009. There is additional weight and richness from the warm growing season, and the fruit may be a little more in the tropical register than usual, but the refreshing acidity and cool minerality balance this without effort and provide backbone and reserve for further ageing. The trademark elegance and finesse are there in ample measures - the only worry are the quite firm phenolics on the finish; excellent length.
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Pre-Christmas family dinner. From a magnum. Fabulous ripe exotic fruit but with a superb minerality that all commented on and assertive balancing acidity. Finest classical dry riesling that accompanied and cut through our rich mackerel pâté starter to perfection. Potential to develop further for perhaps 10 years. 94?+
Great Riesling in all aspects, perfect fruit with exotic and tropical fruits as pineapple, mango and passionfruits, some lime, fresh acidity and minerality, this beauty starts to develop her full potential. Long finish, never looses his elegance, give him 5 more years (95-98p.) Masterpiece
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WEA portfolio tasting (Asia Grand): Served a bit cold. Aromas was initially rather muted, though on palate it showed plenty of tropical fruits - pineapples, lime, a bit of peaches. Minerality was not that evident, with the fruit being the overpowering component. Overall, it appeared a bit plump and a tad short on the finish. With more air and as it warmed up in the glass, this developed more precision, clarity and the minerality also started showing. Perhaps this just needed more time in bottle...
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Felt a bit closed up. Palate was predominantly citrus and tropical fruits. Quite a ripe example as the intensity hits you on the entry however the finish was surprisingly short and unmemorable. I think this needs more time to evolve as clearly there's good extract in here.
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a Großes Gewächs summernight: what a very young appearance, stone licking, some yellow fruit, very spicy, but just too young, long+ finish, will keep my other bottles for 5+ years, *(***-+), 90- 93+?
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a fine herm gg by helmut decant 1-3 hours everyone likes this dry cru from a great vintage from top to bottom , good balance nice fruit not dry dry in fact a touch off dry iv had this wine 10 x and its been 94-95/100 one of the best herm ggs made well worth trying ! had d-mags at my daughters wedding everyone liked it and commented on its layered fruity construction its not as mineral as keller or schaefer f 09s drink now-2030
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Leo's Blind Tasting Group - June '14 edition (Riverpark, NYC): Came across rather understated in contrast to the other Dönnhoff GGs; it's a bit quiet aromatically at first but air brings out some smoky and spicy notes to frame the rich fruit here. There's a gentle stony undercurrent beneath and a bright acid spine, and it's lovely though not as compelling as the Dellchen or the Felsenberg.
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Herlig elegant innbydende nese med gule frukter. Halvfet munnfølelse med stor konsentrasjon. Flott friskhet som skaper en nydelig balanse. Meget lang finish. Herlig vin! 93-94p
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A lovely wine. Opened impromptu when David popped round. A lovely nose of cirtrus and floral. Beautifully balanced, good acidity with a mere touch of sugar which adds to the delicious factor. An excellent wine. 92-93pts
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I am a great fan of Dönnhoff’s dry Nahe Riesling wines, but the “2009 Hermannshöhle G.G.” couldn't fully convince me. Certainly an extremely well made wine, but in my opinion not at the same level as e.g. the “2009 Halenberg G.G.” (Emrich-Schönleber) or the “2009 Felseneck G.G.” (Schäfer-Fröhlich). Attractive light golden color with green hues and a fragrant nose of lemon zest, green apple, nutmeg and some slightly honeyed nuances. Good concentration on the palate, showing gorgeous citrus and stone fruit, quite an oily mouth feel, a good acid balance but also some hints of hidden sweetness. Complex mineral finish with a touch of creaminess.
Ik ben een grote liefhebber van de droge Nahe-Rieslings van Dönnhoff, doch de " Hermannshöhle G.G. 2009" kon niet mij volledig overtuigen. Zonder twijfel een heel degelijke wijn, maar volgens mij toch niet op hetzelfde niveau als bijvoorbeeld de "Halenberg G.G. 2009" (van Emrich-Schönleber) of de "Felseneck G.G. 2009" (van Schäfer-Fröhlich). Aantrekkelijke, licht gouden kleur met groene tinten en een aromatische neus van citroenschil, groene appel, nootmuskaat en wat fijne nuances van honing. Een heel geconcentreerde wijn, vol weelderig citrus- en steenfruit, met een olieachtige mondvulling en een goede aciditeitsbalans, maar ook met sporen van inherente restsuiker. Complexe, minerale en vrij romige afdronk.
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Dönnhoff tasting (AuZone, Stockholm): Appearance: light yellow Nose: ripe yellow fruit, citrus and zest, some dried fruit, emerging maturity with hints of petrol, some smoke, mineral, elegance. Palate: dry but rather fruity, citrus, high acidity, quite concentrated, some grapefruit bitterness that lingers. The palate is rather young. Summary: best among the dry wines of this tasting, 91 p.
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Colour: golden Clour Nose: Very fruity with notes of fresh peach, maracuja but also an nutmeg component. Palate: Dense & deep palate, not too sweet with a lively acidity. Just a hint of bitterness on the back-end.
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second evening at the restaurant Hermannshöhle, Niederhausen: what shall I write today....I´m a fan....., way too young, the nose...complex, stonefruits, shale, on the palate stunning intensive acidity, lots of minerals, the fruit is still almost hidden, after two hours hints of passion fruit, citrus, maybe peaches...., somehow subdued, like driving a car with the handbrake firmly on......, long++ finish, needs a lot more time, will not touch my own bottles for the next 3++ years, expect a lot more..... 92- 95+?
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Brought this to a tasting with friends, friends who together with me were underwhelmed by Dönnhoffs 2010 some months ago. But tonight, Dönnhöff is resurrected. It's still young, almost has some yeasty character, but the minerality knocks that out of the way together with white flowers, lemon zezt, a touch of mandarin, pear, forest strawberries. Acidity is perfect, it has serious oomph, but also perfect balance. It's pure but complex - one of the best young rieslings I've ever had.
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Youthful nose with great purity and focus, slightly yeasty still: white flowers, lots of minerality, crushed rocks, seafood, green apple, citrus zests, blond grapefruit, mandarin orange, and forest strawberries. Vigorous and impressively structured, with great purity of fruit, no bitterness, and a stony mouthfeel. The minerals resound on the palate for quite a while - super-electric like a stratocaster feedbacking on a marshall stack. Tasted blind, is it a Keller or a Schäfer-Fröhlich?
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Big, ripe dry riesling with tons of peach, white fruits, citrus and minerals on the nose. Big, long mouthfeel, very rich yet incredibly well balanced. Superb acidity. Very good wine (although no rush to drink)
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Acker Merrall BYO (Sepia - Chicago IL): First time trying this wine. Fruit seemed somewhere between ripe stone and tropical fruit. Oily and unctuous on palate. Surprising slight sweetness on finish, I probably would have thought this Kabinett if served blind.
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Acker BYO - Chicago (Sepia - Chicago, IL): Interesting showing tonight. The acid was really front and center and the tropical fruit seemed to take a back seat. If I'm being honest, it was hard to get a read on this wine tonight. Great material, but it was incredibly shy.
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Post-Dinner Cellar Raid with Ludovic Belin and Vincent Rapet (Extra Space, Singapore): This was still clearly too young, but it was already surprisingly approachable and very promising. It had a beautiful nose. Peach, nectarines, white flowers, chalk and gentle stony minerality. Lovely stuff. The palate was even better I thought. Bright, fresh and lively, it had a lovely depth of ripe, sweet fruit from the warm vintage, but it was the more citrus notes of lemons and grapefruit that came to the fore with time. This was met by beautiful length at the finish, with a nice lick of mineral and stone to go along with the fruit. I found this bottle to be a very complete wine, full and powerful, yet nicely elegant and wonderfully balanced. It needs plenty of time yet for the submerged complexity to unfold, but it should be beautiful with age.
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A fresh wine with some cold breeze character. Grape fruits, green apples, wet stone, violet white flowers flavours. This wine is quite conservative and not showing much still, with hints of hidden sweetness and good acidity. Creamy and rounded texture, and cold fresh clean feeling from start to the end. Medium to long mineral finish.
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Nothing to add to previous notes; this is still outstanding with the same layers of fruit, mineral and other spicy and herbal flavours; depth, focus and balance, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how this may develop with some time.
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Going Away Dinner @ Ripple (Ripple - Cleveland Park, Washington, D.C.): Thought this showed very well. Nose had white peach, lychee, white florals and lanolin. Bright, fresh and balanced palate was wonderful. Had great acidity, and was so expressive. Didn't show any signs that it was shutting down.
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Nose was strong with Tropical fruit, minerals, spice. Palate of tropical fruit, some stone fruits, spice, minerals. The finish was above average in length and nice clean finish.
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Tooch's Goodbye Tasting (Ripple - Cleveland Park - Washington, DC): I tasted this wine earlier in 2011 and loved it, and it showed even better at this tasting. The aromas are intoxicating: white peaches, whipped honey, lemon-lime and slate. The palate is absolutely delicious, showing plump orchard fruit, apricot and pineapple. The acid and minerals are really high, but the wine maintains a beautiful sense of balance. It's intense, yet so easy to sip. I know Dönnhoff GGs can age, and this surely has a lot of flavors to unravel over time, but it's incredible right now.
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2011 Casual Session - 21 @ Aoki (Aoki @ Shaw Centre): Alcohol :: 13% A.P.7 753 010 27 10. Opened one day before lunch. This is my 2nd GG in from 2009 vintage in 2011 (1st one was 2009 Schäfer-Fröhlich Monzinger Halenberg) and with no surprise, Donnhoff is a clear winner. This light golden juice display loads of mineral complexity together with very ripe fruits: pineapple, peach, lemon that remained highly focus that intermixed with mineral, sea shell as well as dry tea leaves aromas, broad and deep. Blessing by 2009 vintage, this has wonderful concentration of sweet ripe fruits as well as ripe, mouth watering acidity that give the huge amount of dry extract a good buffer hence the precision and harmony. Perfectly balance, very polish, so silky with layer of chalky mineral, salinity, plum, red apple, ripe lemon that wrapped in a powerful yet elegance package. Finish was medium length when served cold and turn much longer with better detail when the wine warm up. No problem to drink this now as this is nothing short of delicious, serve this slightly warm though. This has very good upside potential that begging for more time in the bottle. 91-93
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3 hr decant. intense, tart lemon & fuji apples with a firm stony acid spine. rich, almost slightly creamy at times, but very well balanced. outstanding GG.
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This had more creaminess and flesh than the Stein but I found it just to be a good riesling rather than a good rendition of Hermannshohle - it didn't have any of the wild red-fruit flavors and stony detail you get from a HH in the zone.
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While the wife's away, the boys will play. Nice wines at Keith's. (Keith's): As much as I like Dönnhoff, I'm just really not a fan of dry German Riesling. This is better than the Stein, but I still think a little bit of sugar would make the wine better balanced. The wine's dry and a bit big boned with elements seemingly at odds with itself. Despite the dryness, there's the appearance of ripe stone fruits that gets a bit over powered on the finish by a bitter citrus pith note. The requisite minerality is there, but the wine surprisingly lacks a little verve. Not bad, but not one I'd go out and buy. B+.
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... because i was thirsty. And needed a really great glass of Riesling. No finer estate to turn to. Had to be a Hemannshole GG. Sublime. Ticks all the boxes every time.
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Riesling & Gruner Dinner (Mandu - Washington, DC): I liked this more than the 2009 Pichler Steinertal drank alongside it. It was a classier, more refined cuvee. Despite being a very young wine this has incredible depth and verve on the palate. Great tones of beeswax, smoke, and complex florals. This is a wine that I will keep coming back to...great clarity and depth on a lithe palate.
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Gruner's and Riesling.; 4/3/2011-4/4/2011 (Mandu Washington Dc): Nose was decently strong with apples, white peaches, and mineral. Palate of lemon, honey, lanolin, floral, white pepper, and minerals. The finish was above average in length, but this suffered next to the FX IMO. 91-92
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Gruner Veltliner and Riesling at Mandu (Mandu - Washington, DC): what a beautiful nose of golden apples, white peaches and slate. searing acid on the palate is balanced by a thick, oily mouthfeel. rich white peaches glide across the palate, followed by honeycomb, golden apples, and a rush of minerals. at this point in the tasting, i felt like my palate had been on such a high, that this might even be better if just tasted alone. also, incredibly young. still, this wine wowed me.
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Great aromatics; smoke, honey, herbal, floral and mineral elements combining into an incredible scent. Layered and faintly creamy in the mouth with tremendous depth and a sense of polish to the flavours. There's fantastic balance, depth and persistence here, and I'm looking forward to seeing what this turns into with some time.
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Had to open another one. Left the last few ounces in the bottle in the fridge overnight and it was just as great the next day. I'm usually a sucker for Spatlese, but these GG's might just win me over as my style of choice.
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Opened bottle and let breathe for an hour. Red grapefruit and lime citrus, stone fruit, white flowers and slate nose. Dry, fruity palate with nectarine, Valencia orange, minerals, and lemon verbena. Excellent acidity and perfect balance. Medium-plus length on the citrus and stone fruit finish. I'm sure this will age extremely well, but it's oh so tasty right now.
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Slightly more pleasing than the Dellchen; both I and my wife preferred this bottling. Consistent with the exceptionally high level of Donnhoffs that I have had over the years.
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seriously concentrated yet delicate lemon/lime aromas, which leads to floral notes. tremendously complex. on the palate, waves of bright lemon & stone fruits initially, leading into crisp orchard fruit. extreme mineral finish w/sharp acidity. persistent. an extraordinary riesling.
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Outstanding once again. Tremendous depth and complexity; a spectrum of Riesling fruit, florality, minerality and spicy and herbal elements coming together in a seamless, medium weight package that keeps developing and unravelling more flavours with air. The balance here is impeccable with fantastic acidity, a lightness of touch and tremendous persistence. A fantastic wine to sit down with and explore with time.
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Tremendous Riesling. There's incredible depth and complexity here; layers of citrus and riper white fruited flavours, florality, more exotic herbal and spicy elements and a stony minerality beneath that becomes more intense and expansive with air. This has great balance and persistence, coming across almost chiselled in texture with its acidity more prominent than I remember from a bottle a couple of months ago.
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big fruity wine hint of cream hint aprecot pinapple in the middle and exelent ballence long we have a dancing ballareena in here med- DRY but not bone dry this is another long cellaring wine 25-35 years depending on format needs 5-10 years to fiend itself but it will because this is another sexy babe from donnhoff it got better after heures in the glass and opened up more looking at it in the glass it quivered like a diamond you cant drink this streight off it is not ready wont show properly for several years it is a strange wine its not open but not closed but there is something substantial hiding in this splendid wine that gives it its legs there are some grosses gewachs of 2009 that are the finest ever made this is one of them
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More forward and open aromatically than the Dellchen GG, showing a broader range of fruit spanning tarter lime and pear flavours to riper melony notes and exotic spicy and smoky accents - but while this is lovely to drink with a rich, faintly creamy texture and good depth, the Dellchen alongside outshines it with a degree of precision and freshness that this doesn't show. Still lovely to drink, but overshadowed on the night.
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Drank over 6 days. This was best on the last day, so it follows the course of the 2009 Keller GGs I tasted recently. Compared to Keller Kirchspiel and Hubacker this is more delicate, lighter-on-its-feet, even though it certainly doesn't lack body or depth. Different style. On the first two days this was dominated by acidity, but in the end there was great balance and complexity. This will need a lot of time in cellar. When thinking of Dönnhoff, I must admit that his Spätleses impress me more emotionally, but this is a matter of style. Great wine nonetheless.
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Very pure and a lot of citrus. Same on the palate. Compared to the previous Dönnhoff Schloßböckelheimer Felsenberg Riesling Felsentürmchen Großes Gewächs trocken and the Dönnhoff Norheimer Dellchen Riesling Großes Gewächs trocken the wine impresses me less.
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1/20/2024 - NoTrollingerPlease Likes this wine: 96 Points
Glass: Zalto Bordeaux
Popped and poured, drunk over three days. Clear, medium golden color. Clean, pronounced, developing nose with clear, ripe fruit, zests and mineral notes. Very complex, deep and intoxicating.
Dry, high, ripe acidity. On the palate lots of warm ripe fruit, red berries, ripe lemon and liquid stones all over. What a tension and grip! Pure energy and also wonderful elegance and a beautiful balance. Finish is looong, very mineral with lots of ripe stone fruit and ripe lemon- Certainly at its full peak, can’t imagine that it can get any better. But certainly no hurry! 95-96
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7/21/2023 - vespa110 wrote: 92 Points
Giallo oro, carico, naso turbinio di profumi dalla nafta alla frutta tropicale alle spezie verdi pepate, bocca grossa, spessa, generoso, richiama il naso, manca un poco di spina acida, ma forse pagava di avere labet accanto.
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7/18/2023 - lolo66 wrote:
from memory - a bit more linear than the keller hubacker but the caliber of wines is there justin a more mineral driven style
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4/25/2022 - Billy Swan wrote:
Quite often wine gets nitpicked to death. Is something lacking? Is it to much? Is it 93 or 94 points? In an attempt to take in everything a wine has on offer can result in seeing a lot of trees but not the forest.
However, Dönnhoffs Hermannshöhle just cruises in and puts on THE show. It manages to present itself without any deviations, it’s completely harmonious and elegant and yet intriguing and complex, giving food for thought. The fruit is lovely, a mix of grape, lime, stonefruit and pineapple. The minerals have a whiff of gunpowder, but also slate and limestone. The driving force is the acidity, it powers everything ahead like an arrow shot from a bow - straight into the blue. Lovely now, will surely hold for quite a few years more.
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4/21/2022 - NoTrollingerPlease Likes this wine: 95 Points
Asperg Wine Syndrome Tasting Group: Only two guys and some wine: Glass: Zalto Universal
Popped and poured, drunk over three days. Clear, medium golden color. Clean, medium+ intense, developing nose. Liquid stone! Ripe yellow stone fruit, mixed with fresh herbs. Very deep, dense and complex. Awesome nose, that is continuously changing.
Dry, high, ripe acidity. On the palate lots of warm ripe fruit, red berries, ripe lemon and liquid stones all over. What a tension and grip! Pure energy and also wonderful elegance and a beautiful balance. Finish is looong, very mineral with lots of ripe stone fruit and ripe lemon- Certainly at its full peak, can’t imagine that it can get any better. But certainly no hurry! 95
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12/19/2021 - mattstolz11 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Well. this was delicious. drank over two nights: night one it was the perfect wine for petrol riesling lovers. balanced, mineral driven, but fruit maybe slightly behind the minerality. night two the stone fruit character shined through a bit more and it was so balanced.
I would hold if you can keep your hands off of it. this is still on an upswing and definitely in no risk of a downhill anytime soon. I'm gonna say 2025-2060, but only because I HAVE to put an end date. Riesling like this lives forever.
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10/14/2021 - Been There wrote: 95 Points
Light gold, with both nose and palate reflecting "great year" characteristics of 2009. Big, effusive, lovely nose of honey, ripe nectarine, apricot, subtle background florals. Perfectly balanced acidity to what seemed like some residual sugar, despite the Trocken designation and 13% abv. I guessed abv to be slightly lower. Not easily identifiable as Trocken (a compliment) between the balance and some aging. More like a unique Kabinett style.
Can it age? Certainly. But clearly it's at (a) peak. An archetypical example of what makes German wines so great, when they are well made and from great vintages. The nose was so good, you could pass it around, and people would enjoy much of the quality without drinking it. Similar sensation when faced with a plate of warmed shaved white truffles; a transcendent smell.
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9/8/2021 - NickBurwood Likes this wine: 93 Points
Double Birthday dinner at an old wine-trade friend's house. I did the wine - he the food! Note to follow - but absolutely singing from this magnum
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5/17/2021 - M.Batard wrote: 92 Points
Yellow gold color. Lemons and apricots and stones, again. Good acidity persists, with amazing freshness. Paired superbly with asparagus and Hollandaise sauce, alongside Petit Poussin off the grill, but seemed harshly acidic in the afterglow, on its own.
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3/7/2021 - rsbeck wrote: 95 Points
Popped, poured, consumed over next two hours. Took about 20 minutes to open. Great balance, complexity, and personality with a chalky, lingering finish.
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12/24/2020 - dbkitc wrote: 94 Points
Merry Christmas Eve! Super GG. Pure gold. Grapes and apricots in the nose mixed with plenty of white stones. Roundish pallet that has many layers of sunny fruit (actually a bit of sweetness on the initial attack) and complementing acidity. In a perfect place with a very tidy finish. Not quite fireworks but close. (94)
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11/23/2020 - Port66 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Another lovely dry Riesling from the fine 2009 vintage tried this 3 weeks ago with the falseness 09 , the herm donnhoff was so pure and crisp layered mineral not as powerful as the felseneck in fruit depth yet it danced on the tongue this is a dry Riesling to try
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10/31/2020 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 93 Points
Final bottle from a three bottle lot. Impressive but not right up there with the very best vintages. It’s now fully mature, and the warmth of the growing season gives it a creamy, almost honeyed aspect which distracts from the minerally precision in which this vineyard excels, even though the spicy slate still pervades the wine. There is no lack of vibrant acidity, but on the finish a slight lack of drive and energy is noticeable. But I am nit-picking here: this is an amazing GG in full bloom.
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9/6/2020 - sooper65 wrote: 88 Points
Extreme golden colour... looking older than it might. Plenty of Riesling character but not singing today
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5/3/2020 - dnnk88 Likes this wine: 92 Points
6th CB Wine Night - CT 91 & above!: notes to come
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11/30/2019 - Barry Rothof wrote: 93 Points
@ Wijnbar Pinot | A ripe juicy style with rounded tropical fruit and underlying acidity. No hurry goes on!
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11/22/2019 - oldwines Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely rich medium golden yellow straw color. High acid still keeps this young and lively. Very slight hint of petrol then white flowers and tropical fruits and a touch of pear and citrus zest on the nose. Palate is complex, long and chewy with lemon zest, ripe guava, green apple and a lot of Asian pear on the lengthy finish. Some creaminess to the texture. Bright energetic and delicious with or without food. It was quite nice with a Salmon Tartar and tarragon cream sauce.
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9/16/2019 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 94 Points
Horizontal tasting of the27 best 2009 German Dry Rieslings; 9/16/2019-9/26/2019 (Concept Resling 14.09.2019): semiblind
Reluctant, great acidity structure, Saline, lime, pink Grapefruit, not broad. I guessed Breuer and I was wrong again. at leat 5 more years to go. 94
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8/16/2019 - M.Batard wrote: 93 Points
Truly delicious. White peaches, citrus, perhaps a hint of apricot, and stones in an increasingly complex palate. Very long finish. Only thing I’d ask for was a touch more acidity...(oh, and some crab from the loch to pair with it!)
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8/4/2019 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 93 Points
For some reason, I waited three-and-a-half years before opening another bottle. This is now at perfect peak, a wonderfully exact representation of vineyard, vintage and winegrower. Owing to the warm vintage, it sacrifices some mineral precision and finesse for more generosity and weight, it is fresh but rounded and harmonious. The finish is not as persistent as in cooler vintages with higher acidity, but the bitters which slightly worried me in 2016 seem to have vanished. Drink soon.
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6/8/2019 - NoTrollingerPlease Likes this wine: 95 Points
Nahe^3: 10 vintages of Halenberg, Hermannshöhle and Felseneck + X (@Private location, Frankfurt): *** brief note from an extensive tasting ***
Glass: Gabriel Gold
Tasted blind. Bottle opened about 2-4h before, double decanted before serving.
Pale golden yellow color.
Almost twin vintage to 2007. Liquid stone on nose and palate with a fantastic, vibrant energy, pressure and tension. Maybe a bit less energy, but still very impressive. Very long finish. Still very (too?) young with great upscale potential. 94-95++
Quite similar to the exact same flight we had a month ago.
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5/14/2019 - acyso wrote: flawed
Dry riesling at Qing Xiang Yuan (Chicago, IL): #27-10, 13% abv. This was clearly more advanced than it should have been. Overall, this was a little tired and flat, with the fruit somewhat dull.
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5/11/2019 - m_arcon wrote: 93 Points
“Ten Years After” 2009 Dry Riesling Tasting (Private Location): The Hermannshöhle was the most "favourable" wine in this flight. Lots of fruit upfront, dominated by passion fruit, mango and some pineapple. On the palate good mineral core and tension. A good but not a very good Hermannshöhle imo. Lacks the precision. I´m not sure if it will improve much in the future.
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5/11/2019 - NoTrollingerPlease Likes this wine: 94 Points
10 years after Riesling tasting - 2009 (@Private location, Esslingen): Glass: Zalto Universal
*** just some brief notes, no full details, rating in context of the vertical tasting ***
Opened about 10h before, not decanted. Tasted blind.
Youthful pale golden color. HH and Halenberg had a hard stand in this flight against the amazing Felseneck. All wines in this flight were a step up from the previous Morstein flight. Wonderful nose, great balance, round, wonderful length. Lacks a bit of the vibrant energy and tension of the Felseneck, but still very good. No need to hurry. 94+
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4/14/2019 - Pebben wrote: 93 Points
Popped and poured. Light golden colour. Displays a pleasant albeit fairly reticent bouquet of grapefruit, moist gravel and a touch of petroleum. On the palate, however, flavours are turned up to ten – sweet tropical fruit, a little grapefruit bitterness, pronounced minerality and sufficient (though for a Riesling relatively modest) acidity. Has the power, depth and balance you would expect from a wine of this calibre. Still feels fairly young at ten years of age, and will probably drink well into the late 2020’ies. I must admit that Rieslings have fallen a little out of favour with me over the last few years (too much petroleum and the characteristic pungency that tends to dominate the more power-packed wines are to blame), but this one certainly makes me reconsider my prejudices.
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12/18/2018 - alanr wrote: 93 Points
Medium light hay in color, lovely light petrol and floral, honeyed fruit nose; deeply flavored, rich, with a complex savoriness, just enough balancing acidity, and a long, lasting finish, where some minerality pokes through, then the mouthwatering savory character takes over as the finish fades very slowly.
Might not have the cut and crispness of cooler vintages, but the intensity and depth almost make up for that.
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12/17/2018 - aagrawal wrote: 90 Points
Dinner with the wine group (Aicha, San Francisco): Incredible aromatics, peach, lemon-lime, salinity; palate is dry, white fruit that fades through the midpalate, medium richness; clean minerality on the finish. Lovely wine, but I do like just a touch of sweetness for more complexity on the palate. 90
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4/14/2018 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Wines Tasted at HDH Auction: Small glass, brief note. Lots of apple, lots of brightness. Crisp with a precise, minerally finish.
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2/23/2018 - walkerjfw wrote:
Final night dinner/PNV week - our annual "mostly non Cab" rinse to the week's tastings... (Ad Hoc, Yountville CA): A contribution from my cellar, at the front end of the dinner, drank next to an 05 Zind Humbrecht Riesling. Chilled, drank/tasted over 2 hours
Medium gold color. Nose showing spice, orchard fruits, citrus. Rich, dense palate showing baked apples, peaches, dried apricot smoke notes. Elegant wine, well made and at the beginning of its drinking window - should age nicely for a while if wanting to cellar
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2/13/2018 - Orso58 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Yellow, medium colour
Mainly yellow fruits, Aromas of peach and sitrus. only minimal petroleum scents.
Nice acidity and minerality in the moouth, with medium body and excellent length
Very nice dry riesling approaching maturity, should improve further over the nest 5-10 years
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1/11/2018 - sooper65 wrote: 91 Points
Definitive dry Riesling
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12/26/2017 - NickBurwood Likes this wine: 94 Points
Boxing Day dinner with family members.
From a magnum. The fruit element has really emerged since its last outing at Xmas two years ago. Vibrant apple with a whiff of peach and the exotic. More viscous, richer than the last from memory but with the fabled minerality and core acidity still holding the wine in the (just) dry bracket. Long. Very fine indeed.
I suspect a wine that will evolve rather than improve much further with age. Will leave for a couple of years to check progress.
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10/7/2017 - Puteljen! Likes this wine: 93 Points
This has matured into a golden, slightly sweet and quite rich wine wich nonetheless retains an air of elegance and lightness, tip-toeing over the palate but with each step leaving powerfull impression: ripe lemons, apples, quince, honesuckle. There is also an obvious mineral component with crushed stone and light smoke giving depth and complexity. No diesel to speak of. Good lenght.
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9/16/2017 - AudunG wrote: 92 Points
Aromas of honey, peach, dried citrus and minerals. Soft, rich and concentrated, but also delicate and elegant. I guess the amount of residual sugar is closer to 10 than 0 g/l.
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9/3/2017 - Frank Schneider wrote: 92 Points
Very concentrated and quite monolithic. Big boy as usual in 09 . Not really balanced! Lacking some crispy acid to let it dance on your tongue. This wine just sits !!!!
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8/19/2017 - Dale M wrote: 94 Points
Simply gorgeous nose, full of mineral and wisteria, late arriving note of honey. Though not especially high in acid, I love the way a crystalline quartz quality dominates the palate, leaving a long impression of both mineral and stone, off set by just the slightest touch of peach. Perfect balance. Absolutely fine to open soon, but has another 20 years of good drinking ahead.
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6/19/2017 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 93 Points
Sweet nose, and an appealing dry palate. Opened 24 hours in advance and left in the bottle. Nose offers lightest petrol, melons and jackfruit. Lower acid finish with light sweetness.
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6/19/2017 - Charlie Carnes Likes this wine:
Yellow and white stone fruits. Great texture, pithy, fluid, delicious.
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5/1/2017 - mwanasheria Likes this wine: 95 Points
This was from my cellar and was a notch below the bottle that I had in a restaurant last week. Mine was less evolved, so I think my bottles will get there, too.
Salty mineralogy, citrus, whitecurrant. Great.
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4/18/2017 - Mahatma Chianti Likes this wine: 94 Points
Doing well right now. Double decanted, with additional 2h in the bottle. Glass: Gabriel. This time shining even brighter, more herbal and floral, smooth creamy mouthfeel, balanced well by a more precise acidity and more tension than the last bottle. No wax, no pain...beautiful wine. 93-94
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3/29/2017 - Frank Schneider wrote: 93 Points
08 vs 09 Riesling tasting Not as super as other vintages, but one of my favorites of the night. Needs mor time ??? 93 +
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1/1/2017 - Kellch wrote: 95 Points
Drank out of a magnum. Very balanced and surprisingly mineral. Reminds me to several great 2010 GGs rather than other 2009s. Drinking very well right now.
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12/14/2016 - Mahatma Chianti Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank over two days from Quatrophil Bdx.
Very interesting nose of kerosene, rubber, smoke, slate, tropic and citrus fruits, alongside some floral and herbal reminiscents. Powerful, long spicy mineral finish. Just a slightly beeswaxish tone and the acidity seemed a little bit softened. Early mature? Flawed bottle? I will check again soon over xmas.
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4/29/2016 - etyc Likes this wine:
Sweet floral nose. Nice core of (slightly sweet) yellow-fruits along with a good dose of minerality. I'd had preferred it more had it been fresher (higher acidity). Nonetheless, still very enjoyable.
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3/12/2016 - Harley1199 Does not like this wine:
Riesling Blitzkrieg by FC1910; 3/11/2016-3/12/2016 (Teatro Campos Elíseos - Bilbao): It almost disgusts me on the nose. In the mouth a little better but without depth or a pleasant pass over the throat.
Casi me repugna en nariz. En boca un poco mejor pero sin profundidad ni recorrido agradable.
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2/27/2016 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 93 Points
Once again, Helmut Dönnhoff managed to eke out an amazingly exact representation of vine, vineyard and vintage with this Hermannshöhle 2009. There is additional weight and richness from the warm growing season, and the fruit may be a little more in the tropical register than usual, but the refreshing acidity and cool minerality balance this without effort and provide backbone and reserve for further ageing. The trademark elegance and finesse are there in ample measures - the only worry are the quite firm phenolics on the finish; excellent length.
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12/28/2015 - dbkitc wrote: 95 Points
Richer and more white fruited (pears) than the Keller but equally as exciting. Again, will hold for ages. But why wait? (95)
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12/23/2015 - NickBurwood Likes this wine: 94 Points
Pre-Christmas family dinner.
From a magnum. Fabulous ripe exotic fruit but with a superb minerality that all commented on and assertive balancing acidity. Finest classical dry riesling that accompanied and cut through our rich mackerel pâté starter to perfection.
Potential to develop further for perhaps 10 years. 94?+
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11/21/2015 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fruit, minerality, power and finesse in a perfect match.
Dry Riesling at its very best!
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4/26/2015 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great Riesling in all aspects, perfect fruit with exotic and tropical fruits as pineapple, mango and passionfruits, some lime, fresh acidity and minerality, this beauty starts to develop her full potential. Long finish, never looses his elegance, give him 5 more years (95-98p.) Masterpiece
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1/2/2015 - astroman wrote:
fruits upfront lacks acid. Rather simple palate. Probably due to the warm vintage which explains the lack of acid.
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1/2/2015 - etyc wrote:
WEA portfolio tasting (Asia Grand): Served a bit cold. Aromas was initially rather muted, though on palate it showed plenty of tropical fruits - pineapples, lime, a bit of peaches. Minerality was not that evident, with the fruit being the overpowering component. Overall, it appeared a bit plump and a tad short on the finish. With more air and as it warmed up in the glass, this developed more precision, clarity and the minerality also started showing. Perhaps this just needed more time in bottle...
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1/2/2015 - Dbrane wrote: 87 Points
Felt a bit closed up. Palate was predominantly citrus and tropical fruits. Quite a ripe example as the intensity hits you on the entry however the finish was surprisingly short and unmemorable. I think this needs more time to evolve as clearly there's good extract in here.
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12/14/2014 - Charlie Carnes wrote: flawed
Dark and advanced. Yuck! Cork was soft and fairly wet all way through.
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8/31/2014 - mwanasheria Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is developing nicely with passion fruit, lemon, peach and a very pleasant minerality.
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8/9/2014 - fc1910 wrote: 91 Points
a Großes Gewächs summernight: what a very young appearance, stone licking, some yellow fruit, very spicy, but just too young, long+ finish, will keep my other bottles for 5+ years, *(***-+), 90- 93+?
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7/29/2014 - theb Likes this wine: 95 Points
a fine herm gg by helmut decant 1-3 hours everyone likes this dry cru from a great vintage from top to bottom , good balance nice fruit not dry dry in fact a touch off dry iv had this wine 10 x and its been 94-95/100 one of the best herm ggs made well worth trying ! had d-mags at my daughters wedding everyone liked it and commented on its layered fruity construction its not as mineral as keller or schaefer f 09s drink now-2030
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6/16/2014 - salil wrote: 91 Points
Leo's Blind Tasting Group - June '14 edition (Riverpark, NYC): Came across rather understated in contrast to the other Dönnhoff GGs; it's a bit quiet aromatically at first but air brings out some smoky and spicy notes to frame the rich fruit here. There's a gentle stony undercurrent beneath and a bright acid spine, and it's lovely though not as compelling as the Dellchen or the Felsenberg.
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4/5/2014 - hajoha wrote: 93 Points
Herlig elegant innbydende nese med gule frukter.
Halvfet munnfølelse med stor konsentrasjon. Flott friskhet som skaper en nydelig balanse.
Meget lang finish.
Herlig vin! 93-94p
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1/6/2014 - JeremyQ Likes this wine: 92 Points
A lovely wine. Opened impromptu when David popped round. A lovely nose of cirtrus and floral. Beautifully balanced, good acidity with a mere touch of sugar which adds to the delicious factor. An excellent wine. 92-93pts
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12/27/2013 - kernel Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely fruit. great mouthfeel. really classy. will last years but for me this is so good right now why wait.
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8/18/2013 - magnus_dahlbeck wrote: 88 Points
Very good riesling with minerals, Apples and citrus. Fruity with some sweetness trough completely dry. Fresh and a good buy.
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8/9/2013 - huse wrote: 91 Points
I am a great fan of Dönnhoff’s dry Nahe Riesling wines, but the “2009 Hermannshöhle G.G.” couldn't fully convince me. Certainly an extremely well made wine, but in my opinion not at the same level as e.g. the “2009 Halenberg G.G.” (Emrich-Schönleber) or the “2009 Felseneck G.G.” (Schäfer-Fröhlich). Attractive light golden color with green hues and a fragrant nose of lemon zest, green apple, nutmeg and some slightly honeyed nuances. Good concentration on the palate, showing gorgeous citrus and stone fruit, quite an oily mouth feel, a good acid balance but also some hints of hidden sweetness. Complex mineral finish with a touch of creaminess.
Ik ben een grote liefhebber van de droge Nahe-Rieslings van Dönnhoff, doch de " Hermannshöhle G.G. 2009" kon niet mij volledig overtuigen. Zonder twijfel een heel degelijke wijn, maar volgens mij toch niet op hetzelfde niveau als bijvoorbeeld de "Halenberg G.G. 2009" (van Emrich-Schönleber) of de "Felseneck G.G. 2009" (van Schäfer-Fröhlich). Aantrekkelijke, licht gouden kleur met groene tinten en een aromatische neus van citroenschil, groene appel, nootmuskaat en wat fijne nuances van honing. Een heel geconcentreerde wijn, vol weelderig citrus- en steenfruit, met een olieachtige mondvulling en een goede aciditeitsbalans, maar ook met sporen van inherente restsuiker. Complexe, minerale en vrij romige afdronk.
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8/8/2013 - Vintomas wrote: 91 Points
Dönnhoff tasting (AuZone, Stockholm): Appearance: light yellow
Nose: ripe yellow fruit, citrus and zest, some dried fruit, emerging maturity with hints of petrol, some smoke, mineral, elegance.
Palate: dry but rather fruity, citrus, high acidity, quite concentrated, some grapefruit bitterness that lingers. The palate is rather young.
Summary: best among the dry wines of this tasting, 91 p.
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7/12/2013 - m_arcon wrote: 92 Points
Colour: golden Clour
Nose: Very fruity with notes of fresh peach, maracuja but also an nutmeg component.
Palate: Dense & deep palate, not too sweet with a lively acidity. Just a hint of bitterness on the back-end.
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6/24/2013 - cardsandwine wrote:
While young this is very good and will get better. Bracing acidity, impeccable balance and good focus. Needs a couple more years.
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2/10/2013 - fc1910 Likes this wine: 92 Points
second evening at the restaurant Hermannshöhle, Niederhausen: what shall I write today....I´m a fan....., way too young, the nose...complex, stonefruits, shale, on the palate stunning intensive acidity, lots of minerals, the fruit is still almost hidden, after two hours hints of passion fruit, citrus, maybe peaches...., somehow subdued, like driving a car with the handbrake firmly on......, long++ finish, needs a lot more time, will not touch my own bottles for the next 3++ years, expect a lot more..... 92- 95+?
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1/7/2013 - LoireFan wrote: 90 Points
I want these 93/95 pt bottles everyone else is drinking.
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12/16/2012 - Billy Swan wrote:
Brought this to a tasting with friends, friends who together with me were underwhelmed by Dönnhoffs 2010 some months ago. But tonight, Dönnhöff is resurrected. It's still young, almost has some yeasty character, but the minerality knocks that out of the way together with white flowers, lemon zezt, a touch of mandarin, pear, forest strawberries. Acidity is perfect, it has serious oomph, but also perfect balance. It's pure but complex - one of the best young rieslings I've ever had.
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12/14/2012 - Finare Vinare wrote: 95 Points
Youthful nose with great purity and focus, slightly yeasty still: white flowers, lots of minerality, crushed rocks, seafood, green apple, citrus zests, blond grapefruit, mandarin orange, and forest strawberries. Vigorous and impressively structured, with great purity of fruit, no bitterness, and a stony mouthfeel. The minerals resound on the palate for quite a while - super-electric like a stratocaster feedbacking on a marshall stack. Tasted blind, is it a Keller or a Schäfer-Fröhlich?
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10/28/2012 - sooper65 wrote: 93 Points
Gorgeous purity; a wonderful expression of Riesling.
Love this.
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10/27/2012 - Chasse_spleen wrote: 95 Points
Heavenly balance, and so fresh. Riesling cannot get any better than this. A truthful wine.
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7/24/2012 - WillersC wrote: 93 Points
Big, ripe dry riesling with tons of peach, white fruits, citrus and minerals on the nose. Big, long mouthfeel, very rich yet incredibly well balanced. Superb acidity. Very good wine (although no rush to drink)
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6/7/2012 - Burgundy Al wrote: 91 Points
Acker Merrall BYO (Sepia - Chicago IL): First time trying this wine. Fruit seemed somewhere between ripe stone and tropical fruit. Oily and unctuous on palate. Surprising slight sweetness on finish, I probably would have thought this Kabinett if served blind.
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6/7/2012 - tooch wrote:
Acker BYO - Chicago (Sepia - Chicago, IL): Interesting showing tonight. The acid was really front and center and the tropical fruit seemed to take a back seat. If I'm being honest, it was hard to get a read on this wine tonight. Great material, but it was incredibly shy.
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2/25/2012 - Chasse_spleen wrote: 95 Points
Simply incredible. Complex, yet with laser sharp focus. Deep and profound. After drinking one becomes a better human being.
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2/14/2012 - Alex H wrote: 87 Points
Impression of sweetness. High acid and very sleek. Tricks u on the sweetness. Feels floral. Very high potential
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2/11/2012 - Paul S wrote: 92 Points
Post-Dinner Cellar Raid with Ludovic Belin and Vincent Rapet (Extra Space, Singapore): This was still clearly too young, but it was already surprisingly approachable and very promising. It had a beautiful nose. Peach, nectarines, white flowers, chalk and gentle stony minerality. Lovely stuff. The palate was even better I thought. Bright, fresh and lively, it had a lovely depth of ripe, sweet fruit from the warm vintage, but it was the more citrus notes of lemons and grapefruit that came to the fore with time. This was met by beautiful length at the finish, with a nice lick of mineral and stone to go along with the fruit. I found this bottle to be a very complete wine, full and powerful, yet nicely elegant and wonderfully balanced. It needs plenty of time yet for the submerged complexity to unfold, but it should be beautiful with age.
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1/17/2012 - Vin Lover wrote: 90 Points
A fresh wine with some cold breeze character. Grape fruits, green apples, wet stone, violet white flowers flavours. This wine is quite conservative and not showing much still, with hints of hidden sweetness and good acidity. Creamy and rounded texture, and cold fresh clean feeling from start to the end. Medium to long mineral finish.
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12/11/2011 - salil wrote: 92 Points
Nothing to add to previous notes; this is still outstanding with the same layers of fruit, mineral and other spicy and herbal flavours; depth, focus and balance, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how this may develop with some time.
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11/28/2011 - tooch wrote:
Going Away Dinner @ Ripple (Ripple - Cleveland Park, Washington, D.C.): Thought this showed very well. Nose had white peach, lychee, white florals and lanolin. Bright, fresh and balanced palate was wonderful. Had great acidity, and was so expressive. Didn't show any signs that it was shutting down.
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11/28/2011 - manonthemoon wrote: 93 Points
Nose was strong with Tropical fruit, minerals, spice.
Palate of tropical fruit, some stone fruits, spice, minerals.
The finish was above average in length and nice clean finish.
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11/28/2011 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 93 Points
Tooch's Goodbye Tasting (Ripple - Cleveland Park - Washington, DC): I tasted this wine earlier in 2011 and loved it, and it showed even better at this tasting. The aromas are intoxicating: white peaches, whipped honey, lemon-lime and slate. The palate is absolutely delicious, showing plump orchard fruit, apricot and pineapple. The acid and minerals are really high, but the wine maintains a beautiful sense of balance. It's intense, yet so easy to sip. I know Dönnhoff GGs can age, and this surely has a lot of flavors to unravel over time, but it's incredible right now.
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10/26/2011 - Sleepy Dave wrote: 91 Points
2011 Casual Session - 21 @ Aoki (Aoki @ Shaw Centre): Alcohol :: 13%
A.P.7 753 010 27 10. Opened one day before lunch. This is my 2nd GG in from 2009 vintage in 2011 (1st one was 2009 Schäfer-Fröhlich Monzinger Halenberg) and with no surprise, Donnhoff is a clear winner. This light golden juice display loads of mineral complexity together with very ripe fruits: pineapple, peach, lemon that remained highly focus that intermixed with mineral, sea shell as well as dry tea leaves aromas, broad and deep. Blessing by 2009 vintage, this has wonderful concentration of sweet ripe fruits as well as ripe, mouth watering acidity that give the huge amount of dry extract a good buffer hence the precision and harmony. Perfectly balance, very polish, so silky with layer of chalky mineral, salinity, plum, red apple, ripe lemon that wrapped in a powerful yet elegance package. Finish was medium length when served cold and turn much longer with better detail when the wine warm up. No problem to drink this now as this is nothing short of delicious, serve this slightly warm though. This has very good upside potential that begging for more time in the bottle. 91-93
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10/5/2011 - sooper65 wrote: 93 Points
Ox Gdns Pork dins w SD, Jukes x 2, KG & Frances: this was terrific.... no surprise there
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9/5/2011 - celtic67 wrote:
outstanding again. deep nose of fuji apples & slate. a bit richer & less crisp than the karthauserhof.
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8/21/2011 - celtic67 wrote:
3 hr decant. intense, tart lemon & fuji apples with a firm stony acid spine. rich, almost slightly creamy at times, but very well balanced. outstanding GG.
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8/17/2011 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 87 Points
This had more creaminess and flesh than the Stein but I found it just to be a good riesling rather than a good rendition of Hermannshohle - it didn't have any of the wild red-fruit flavors and stony detail you get from a HH in the zone.
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8/17/2011 - BradKNYC wrote:
While the wife's away, the boys will play. Nice wines at Keith's. (Keith's): As much as I like Dönnhoff, I'm just really not a fan of dry German Riesling. This is better than the Stein, but I still think a little bit of sugar would make the wine better balanced. The wine's dry and a bit big boned with elements seemingly at odds with itself. Despite the dryness, there's the appearance of ripe stone fruits that gets a bit over powered on the finish by a bitter citrus pith note. The requisite minerality is there, but the wine surprisingly lacks a little verve. Not bad, but not one I'd go out and buy. B+.
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8/4/2011 - mwanasheria wrote: 91 Points
Needs time, but gets better with some air. Nice citrus, peach, slate, pineapple. Great length.
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7/31/2011 - Rani wrote: 94 Points
Dinner with Helmut and Gaby Donnhoff (Herbert Samuel restaurant, Tel Aviv): Flint, raisins and cape gooseberries. Huge underlying fruit, really expansive on the palate. Powerful and broad.
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7/25/2011 - sooper65 wrote: 91 Points
... because i was thirsty. And needed a really great glass of Riesling. No finer estate to turn to. Had to be a Hemannshole GG. Sublime. Ticks all the boxes every time.
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4/3/2011 - tooch wrote: 93 Points
Riesling & Gruner Dinner (Mandu - Washington, DC): I liked this more than the 2009 Pichler Steinertal drank alongside it. It was a classier, more refined cuvee. Despite being a very young wine this has incredible depth and verve on the palate. Great tones of beeswax, smoke, and complex florals. This is a wine that I will keep coming back to...great clarity and depth on a lithe palate.
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4/3/2011 - manonthemoon wrote: 92 Points
Gruner's and Riesling.; 4/3/2011-4/4/2011 (Mandu Washington Dc): Nose was decently strong with apples, white peaches, and mineral.
Palate of lemon, honey, lanolin, floral, white pepper, and minerals.
The finish was above average in length, but this suffered next to the FX IMO. 91-92
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4/3/2011 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 92 Points
Gruner Veltliner and Riesling at Mandu (Mandu - Washington, DC): what a beautiful nose of golden apples, white peaches and slate. searing acid on the palate is balanced by a thick, oily mouthfeel. rich white peaches glide across the palate, followed by honeycomb, golden apples, and a rush of minerals. at this point in the tasting, i felt like my palate had been on such a high, that this might even be better if just tasted alone. also, incredibly young. still, this wine wowed me.
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3/28/2011 - salil wrote: 92 Points
Great aromatics; smoke, honey, herbal, floral and mineral elements combining into an incredible scent. Layered and faintly creamy in the mouth with tremendous depth and a sense of polish to the flavours. There's fantastic balance, depth and persistence here, and I'm looking forward to seeing what this turns into with some time.
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3/25/2011 - cartime wrote:
Had to open another one. Left the last few ounces in the bottle in the fridge overnight and it was just as great the next day. I'm usually a sucker for Spatlese, but these GG's might just win me over as my style of choice.
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2/7/2011 - cartime wrote: 95 Points
Opened bottle and let breathe for an hour. Red grapefruit and lime citrus, stone fruit, white flowers and slate nose. Dry, fruity palate with nectarine, Valencia orange, minerals, and lemon verbena. Excellent acidity and perfect balance. Medium-plus length on the citrus and stone fruit finish. I'm sure this will age extremely well, but it's oh so tasty right now.
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2/3/2011 - amateurwino wrote:
Slightly more pleasing than the Dellchen; both I and my wife preferred this bottling. Consistent with the exceptionally high level of Donnhoffs that I have had over the years.
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1/26/2011 - celtic67 wrote:
seriously concentrated yet delicate lemon/lime aromas, which leads to floral notes. tremendously complex. on the palate, waves of bright lemon & stone fruits initially, leading into crisp orchard fruit. extreme mineral finish w/sharp acidity. persistent. an extraordinary riesling.
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1/21/2011 - salil wrote: 94 Points
Outstanding once again. Tremendous depth and complexity; a spectrum of Riesling fruit, florality, minerality and spicy and herbal elements coming together in a seamless, medium weight package that keeps developing and unravelling more flavours with air. The balance here is impeccable with fantastic acidity, a lightness of touch and tremendous persistence. A fantastic wine to sit down with and explore with time.
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1/8/2011 - baroloboy55 wrote: 93 Points
Drank with old friends at Woodberry. Quite fine, balanced, multi faceted. Second time tasting and very promising
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12/22/2010 - salil wrote: 95 Points
Tremendous Riesling. There's incredible depth and complexity here; layers of citrus and riper white fruited flavours, florality, more exotic herbal and spicy elements and a stony minerality beneath that becomes more intense and expansive with air. This has great balance and persistence, coming across almost chiselled in texture with its acidity more prominent than I remember from a bottle a couple of months ago.
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12/6/2010 - alanr Likes this wine: 96 Points
More depth and intensity than the Dellchen or Felsenberg, a slow build of mineral complexity on the long finish. Fabulous.
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12/5/2010 - theb wrote: 95 Points
big fruity wine hint of cream hint aprecot pinapple in the middle and exelent ballence long we have a dancing ballareena in here med- DRY but not bone dry this is another long cellaring wine 25-35 years depending on format needs 5-10 years to fiend itself but it will because this is another sexy babe from donnhoff it got better after heures in the glass and opened up more looking at it in the glass it quivered like a diamond you cant drink this streight off it is not ready wont show properly for several years it is a strange wine its not open but not closed but there is something substantial hiding in this splendid wine that gives it its legs there are some grosses gewachs of 2009 that are the finest ever made this is one of them
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10/30/2010 - salil wrote: 92 Points
More forward and open aromatically than the Dellchen GG, showing a broader range of fruit spanning tarter lime and pear flavours to riper melony notes and exotic spicy and smoky accents - but while this is lovely to drink with a rich, faintly creamy texture and good depth, the Dellchen alongside outshines it with a degree of precision and freshness that this doesn't show. Still lovely to drink, but overshadowed on the night.
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10/28/2010 - VHJV wrote: 93 Points
Drank over 6 days. This was best on the last day, so it follows the course of the 2009 Keller GGs I tasted recently. Compared to Keller Kirchspiel and Hubacker this is more delicate, lighter-on-its-feet, even though it certainly doesn't lack body or depth. Different style. On the first two days this was dominated by acidity, but in the end there was great balance and complexity. This will need a lot of time in cellar. When thinking of Dönnhoff, I must admit that his Spätleses impress me more emotionally, but this is a matter of style. Great wine nonetheless.
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7/6/2010 - Zweder wrote: 91 Points
Very pure and a lot of citrus. Same on the palate. Compared to the previous Dönnhoff Schloßböckelheimer Felsenberg Riesling Felsentürmchen Großes Gewächs trocken and the Dönnhoff Norheimer Dellchen Riesling Großes Gewächs trocken the wine impresses me less.
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