OMG thought this was a 2001 Kabinett. Great density, lovely apricot/stone fruit and honey, wonderful balance. Really had planned to hold this for another 10 years and not drink it on a normal Sunday night! I like surprises like this!!
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Burgundy lunch at San Shu Gong: From 375ml and this did have a gold capsule. Slightly honeyed nose with an advanced colour, but on the palate it was still fresh with apricot fruit and healthy acidity. A little heavier than I would have liked though.
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#15-02, 8.5% abv. White capsule (there's only one bottling of this as far as I'm aware), and a super leaky bottle that was still fortunately very much sound. Slightly smoky, with floral tones on the nose. The aromas aren't particularly fruit-forward here. This bottle also has a slight bit of petrol on the nose. The palate is quite subdued, but not lacking in flavour or concentration at all; there are some sweet stone fruit notes as well, but overall the sweetness doesn't suffer from Prädikat creep. High acidity, but texturally this is creamier than I would expect.
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First, a rant. This is not a gold capsule wine. The Leistenberg Auslese in 2001 (and 2003) has a white capsule. There is no gold capsule version. I spent a couple of years trying to get the CellarTracker folks to understand this, but finally gave up. “Goldkapsel” it is, despite the fact that it’s not.
The wine is freaking gorgeous. Wildflower honey drizzled over ripe peaches, served with a sprinkle of nutmeg, and a quick flambé to add a touch of caramelization and a hint of smoke. It’s only modern-Spätlese sweet, but it has stupendous length and haunts the palate with a creamy vanilla finish. The balance is at a point where nothing sticks out in any direction. It’s completely integrated. Drink now and enjoy. Age it longer and enjoy. Imagine what it might have been like if it was actually a gold capsule wine. ;)
I hate to ever take Donnhoff off of its deserving pedestal I've put it on, but this bottle was rather disappointing; golden orange color; nose shows nice marmalade, ripe peach, possibly a touch of botrytis but mainly late harvest notes; palate was entirely too light for Auslese, acid was way too sharp, not very sweet but very acidic, sour stone fruit, peach apricot nectarine, cider made from Granny Smith apples, some golden, hints of pineapple marmalade; I absolutely love the ethereal beauty and lightness of Donnhoff when it comes to Spatlese and below, but I expect Auslese to have more density and richness than this exhibited, time will soften the acid but I feel the wine will always seem pretty dry.
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This is fantastic. Still primary with powerful stone and tropical fruit, nice earthy balance, plenty of acid to give it length and balance the sweetness. Lovely intensity and length in the midpalate despite not being overly dense or heavy. Enough acid to drink as a table wine despite the sugar. Yum.
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Mouth watering acidity to balance the rich succulent sweetness of the wine. Not what I have experienced in the past with wines from Nahe, more like a Mosel IMO. Petrol notes, over ripe mango, an almost botrytis esk note. Continued to evolve throughout dinner. Paired with Thai food.
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From 375 surprisingly dry for Auslese yet still youngish and relatively primary which was surprising. This needed some air to reach a more full expression and if anything was a bit closed down. Everything seems to be here yet it lacked a bit of the magic i expected from a 2001. will give the next bottle at lest 2-3 years & keep my fingers crossed.
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An unusual Donnhoff from 750. Decanted and started to peak at about the 4 hour mark when the nose got more spicy and expressive. Stellar and right in the zone. Fresh and somewhat Mosel-like in character with pure liquid slate throughout. Waxy texture and an integrated acid zip that leads into the medium-length finish rather than being up front. Graceful and stately... doesn't drink like a declassified BA despite the goldkapsel status. IMO, will drink like a table wine before long. I look to space my other two bottles over the next 10 years.
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Light yellow. Apple jelly with a tad of honey layered on top. Medium weight, pristine fruit and spices, off dry, fabulous acidity. Just at the front end of its drinking window. Gorgeous with tons of room for development.
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Cork was wet and strange, grey stained. The wines color was correct, but the nose was closed. Taste was slate and grapefruit plus a hint of petrol. Bracing acidity. Some sort of problem with this bottle I think, not corked, but something amiss.
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Still don't have words to describe the fragrance here. It's more developed and not as sweet as the Dellchen, with maturing savoury and smoky elements accenting the fresh Riesling fruit, a faint note of botrytis and a remarkable floral/beeswax-like topnote I've not come across before in Donnhoff's Rieslings that makes it absolutely compelling to smell. There's great balance with superb acidity balancing the sweetness and richness here and keeping it very easy to drink, and a great way to end the evening and cap an outstanding trio of wines. Thanks David.
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Riesling Dinner at EMP (Eleven Madison Park, New York, NY): I enjoyed this. It was crisper and cleaner, more acid and less viscous than the others, some apples on the palate as well. This matched the food, but I think I'd prefer to drink it on its own in the summer. Nice.
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10/1/2023 - jonboy74 Likes this wine: 93 Points
OMG thought this was a 2001 Kabinett. Great density, lovely apricot/stone fruit and honey, wonderful balance. Really had planned to hold this for another 10 years and not drink it on a normal Sunday night! I like surprises like this!!
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1/7/2022 - melvinyeowq wrote:
Burgundy lunch at San Shu Gong: From 375ml and this did have a gold capsule. Slightly honeyed nose with an advanced colour, but on the palate it was still fresh with apricot fruit and healthy acidity. A little heavier than I would have liked though.
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12/31/2021 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
#15-02, 8.5% abv. White capsule (there's only one bottling of this as far as I'm aware), and a super leaky bottle that was still fortunately very much sound. Slightly smoky, with floral tones on the nose. The aromas aren't particularly fruit-forward here. This bottle also has a slight bit of petrol on the nose. The palate is quite subdued, but not lacking in flavour or concentration at all; there are some sweet stone fruit notes as well, but overall the sweetness doesn't suffer from Prädikat creep. High acidity, but texturally this is creamier than I would expect.
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9/4/2021 - Rieslingfan wrote:
First, a rant. This is not a gold capsule wine. The Leistenberg Auslese in 2001 (and 2003) has a white capsule. There is no gold capsule version. I spent a couple of years trying to get the CellarTracker folks to understand this, but finally gave up. “Goldkapsel” it is, despite the fact that it’s not.
The wine is freaking gorgeous. Wildflower honey drizzled over ripe peaches, served with a sprinkle of nutmeg, and a quick flambé to add a touch of caramelization and a hint of smoke. It’s only modern-Spätlese sweet, but it has stupendous length and haunts the palate with a creamy vanilla finish. The balance is at a point where nothing sticks out in any direction. It’s completely integrated. Drink now and enjoy. Age it longer and enjoy. Imagine what it might have been like if it was actually a gold capsule wine. ;)
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12/22/2020 - kenarn wrote: 94 Points
Perfect opposite grilled lobster
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3/3/2018 - drwine2001 wrote:
Anything but Burgundy Gala Dinner (San Francisco): Lighter than the '90 Auslesen that were opened. Fresh, lively, only moderately sweet, citric. Excellent.
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7/4/2017 - Rezy13 wrote:
I hate to ever take Donnhoff off of its deserving pedestal I've put it on, but this bottle was rather disappointing; golden orange color; nose shows nice marmalade, ripe peach, possibly a touch of botrytis but mainly late harvest notes; palate was entirely too light for Auslese, acid was way too sharp, not very sweet but very acidic, sour stone fruit, peach apricot nectarine, cider made from Granny Smith apples, some golden, hints of pineapple marmalade; I absolutely love the ethereal beauty and lightness of Donnhoff when it comes to Spatlese and below, but I expect Auslese to have more density and richness than this exhibited, time will soften the acid but I feel the wine will always seem pretty dry.
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3/18/2017 - coremill wrote: 93 Points
This is fantastic. Still primary with powerful stone and tropical fruit, nice earthy balance, plenty of acid to give it length and balance the sweetness. Lovely intensity and length in the midpalate despite not being overly dense or heavy. Enough acid to drink as a table wine despite the sugar. Yum.
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12/27/2015 - drwine2001 wrote:
Medium yellow. Moderate sweetness, a touch of honey, fresh, and light on its feet. This still has a long way to go before reaching maturity.
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12/23/2015 - Vinophiliac559 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Mouth watering acidity to balance the rich succulent sweetness of the wine. Not what I have experienced in the past with wines from Nahe, more like a Mosel IMO. Petrol notes, over ripe mango, an almost botrytis esk note. Continued to evolve throughout dinner. Paired with Thai food.
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8/22/2015 - bon vivant wrote:
From 375 surprisingly dry for Auslese yet still youngish and relatively primary which was surprising. This needed some air to reach a more full expression and if anything was a bit closed down. Everything seems to be here yet it lacked a bit of the magic i expected from a 2001. will give the next bottle at lest 2-3 years & keep my fingers crossed.
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4/26/2015 - DollarMenunaire wrote: 94 Points
An unusual Donnhoff from 750. Decanted and started to peak at about the 4 hour mark when the nose got more spicy and expressive. Stellar and right in the zone. Fresh and somewhat Mosel-like in character with pure liquid slate throughout. Waxy texture and an integrated acid zip that leads into the medium-length finish rather than being up front. Graceful and stately... doesn't drink like a declassified BA despite the goldkapsel status. IMO, will drink like a table wine before long. I look to space my other two bottles over the next 10 years.
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10/16/2012 - drwine2001 wrote:
Light yellow. Apple jelly with a tad of honey layered on top. Medium weight, pristine fruit and spices, off dry, fabulous acidity. Just at the front end of its drinking window. Gorgeous with tons of room for development.
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3/12/2012 - BobJohnson1 wrote:
Cork was wet and strange, grey stained. The wines color was correct, but the nose was closed. Taste was slate and grapefruit plus a hint of petrol. Bracing acidity. Some sort of problem with this bottle I think, not corked, but something amiss.
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2/21/2012 - salil wrote: 95 Points
Still don't have words to describe the fragrance here. It's more developed and not as sweet as the Dellchen, with maturing savoury and smoky elements accenting the fresh Riesling fruit, a faint note of botrytis and a remarkable floral/beeswax-like topnote I've not come across before in Donnhoff's Rieslings that makes it absolutely compelling to smell. There's great balance with superb acidity balancing the sweetness and richness here and keeping it very easy to drink, and a great way to end the evening and cap an outstanding trio of wines. Thanks David.
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5/11/2009 - GA wrote: 90 Points
5/09 Nice dinner quality reisling - dry and good balance. 90 pts.
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5/8/2009 - Cheryl wrote:
Riesling Dinner at EMP (Eleven Madison Park, New York, NY): I enjoyed this. It was crisper and cleaner, more acid and less viscous than the others, some apples on the palate as well. This matched the food, but I think I'd prefer to drink it on its own in the summer. Nice.
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