1989 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel

Community Tasting Notes (4) Avg Score: 96 points

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  4/7/2020 - Mbad77 wrote: 92 Points

  Give it an hour to open up. Perfect bottle in a good place - very good if not outstanding.

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  2/1/2017 - forceberry wrote: 95 Points

  9.5% alcohol.
  
  Medium-deep lemony yellow color. Astoundingly bright and youthful nose with somewhat restrained aromas of ripe and sweet citrus fruits, perfumed white flowers, a little bit of honeyed richness and a hint of wizened apricots. The wine is rich, broad and somewhat oily on the palate with moderately full body and quite concentrated and developed medium-sweet flavors of lemon marmalade, some apple jam, a little bit of melted butter, light mineral notes of wet stones, a hint of creamy richness and a touch of dried apricot. The wine is high in acidity which lends the wine good sense of balance and structure, yet overall the zip and verve of youth has left the wine, making it feel very big and even moderately weighty on the palate. The overall mouthfeel here is silky smooth - the acidity keeps the wine wonderfully together without cutting through at all. The finish is long, powerful and complex with medium-dry flavors of very ripe pineapple, sweet peach, some dried apricot, a little bit of lemon marmalade, light mineral tones of wet stones, a hint of chalky mineral bitterness and a touch of honey.
  
  Overall this is a surprisingly big, concentrated and weighty effort for a Riesling, but also in a very beautiful phase right now. The wine isn't as bright, racy and refreshing as some of the Hermannshöhle Spätlesen and Auslesen from the 1990's, but the wine still retains impressive sense of poise and harmony with its balanced acidity. It's hard to say whether the wine will continue to evolve from here or if it is at its peak now, but this is nevertheless an exquisite experience. Although I can imagine the wine could pair very well with various cheeses or more savory desserts, I'd probably prefer to enjoy the wine on its own. Very highly recommended.

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  2/23/2014 - Rieslingfan Likes this wine: 97 Points

  This bottle of the 1989 Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Auslese is delicious. It combines peach fruit, spicy tones and a deep smokiness all in a single glass of wine. Each sip reveals yet another nuance of fruit, spice or stone. The wine still has a notable sweetness, but with the perfect acid balance to finish dry. The finish is haunting, like a vivid dream that is too real for comfort. Stunning Riesling. Stunning wine - though very different from the last time I had it.

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  10/4/2007 - Rieslingfan wrote: 100 Points

  . I opened this wine at about 6:30 PM to check it for corkiness or oxidation, and while it showed a little bit of fruit (most of it dried), there was absolutely no clue of what was to come. At about 8:45 I poured some into my Riedel Sommelier Series Riesling glass (the one that triples for Chianti and Zin), and aromas of fresh apricots, nutmeg, honey, golden raisins, lemons and wet rocks jumped out at me. After 18 years the sweetness of the wine has faded into the overall pattern, with the focus being on something like fresh fruit compote that hasn’t really been cooked, but instead just left in its uncooked state for a while so that the flavors will meld into a seamless whole. Gliding like silk across the palate, the wine finished with no suggestion of sweetness, but just a mineral presence dusted by spice powder. Perfect.

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