New reviews from James Suckling for Dönnhoff wines. To read more from James Suckling, click here. To see our full tasting notes of Dönnhoff wines, click here.
Dönnhoff Riesling Nahe Dellchen GG 2023 - 100 Points
This dry riesling has a hypnotic beauty that leaves no doubt how this wine redefines what peachy means in the context of this grape variety. As it aerates, a wealth of wild berry and flower nuances develop and expand. Given the mind-bending concentration of this wine, it is staggeringly fresh and absolutely precise. Then comes the finish, which is like a prima ballerina dancing on pointe off into the distance. Drink from release.
Dönnhoff Riesling Nahe Hermannshöhle GG 2023 - 100 Points
Incredibly refined and precise, yet with Grand Canyon-like depths and layers, this incredible dry riesling has a horizon-to-horizon spectrum of stone fruit, citrus and wild berry aromas, plus a touch of dusty hot soil as rain starts to fall on it. On the compact, medium-bodied palate, this side of the wine builds and builds to a giant crescendo in the almost endless finish. Drink or hold.
Dönnhoff Riesling Nahe Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Auslese 2023 - 99 Points
Enormous finesse and subtlety make this sensational riesling Auslese stand out. There’s terrific concentration and power, but all this is underplayed. So graceful and delightful, this makes you want to linger and wander through its innumerable lanes and alleys. Just a hint of floral honey, but that wraps everything up in a glaze of ravishing beauty. Drink or hold.
Dönnhoff Riesling Nahe Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Spätlese 2023 - 99 Points
Welcome to the Bladerunner of Nahe riesling Spatlese. This is also extremely fine and complex, with a cornucopia of stone fruit, exotic fruit and spices. Radical stony minerality and racy acidity, yet with a feather-light mouthfeel on the barely medium-bodied palate. Then you wonder if the wine will ever leave you, so long is the almost endless farewell. Drink or hold.
Dönnhoff Riesling Nahe Oberhäuser Brücke Auslese 2023 - 99 Points
Auslese might sound cuddly to some, but this is a very radical wine with gigantic concentration of cool tropical fruit and mineral acidity. Electric glide on the medium- to full-bodied palate. The finish is all blue and green in spite of the extraordinary yellow fruit on the nose and front palate. And with that, only the most basic characteristics of this extraordinary wine are adequately described. Drink or hold.
Dönnhoff Riesling Nahe Höllenpfad im Mühlenberg GG 2023 - 99 Points
Who can resist this beauty? The explosive nose of yellow peaches and wild blackberries sucks you inexorably into this extremely concentrated, but also incredibly refined and precise dry riesling. A great masterpiece of delicacy and purity, with a finish that doesn’t want to stop pumping out the wet stone minerality. A de facto monopole site for this producer. Drink from release.
Dönnhoff Riesling Nahe Felsenberg GG 2023 - 98 Points
Radically smoky and massively structured in spite of being only medium-bodied, this astonishingly dry riesling expresses the personality of this volcanic site with great authority and precision. So much spice, structure and hardness in the positive sense, meaning that this is not a wine for the faint of heart. Massive power in the imposing finish, yet absolutely clean and bright. Drink or hold.
Dönnhoff Riesling Nahe Brücke GG (auction) 2023 - 98 Points
Very powerful and compact on the sleek and extremely focused palate, this has an almost supernatural cool, racy energy. I love the way the juicy stone fruit exactly matches the herbal intensity. Very cool and dark finish that doesn’t want to stop. Great aging potential. Extremely limited production.
Dönnhoff Riesling Nahe Oberhäuser Brücke Spätlese 2023 - 98 Points
When worlds colide. The tension between the cool, dark side (think Darth Vader) and the enormous brightness of the stone fruit (think Luke Skywalker) makes this astonishing riesling Spatlese extremely compelling. The most beautiful pineapple and grapefruit aromas. Fabulous freshness at the stunningly straight and pure finish. Drink or hold.
Dönnhoff Riesling Nahe Krötenpfuhl GG 2023 - 96 Points
This is like a whole garden of fresh herbs bathed in morning dew plus a touch of fully ripe gooseberries. This starts quite round and very silky on the medium-bodied palate, then the energy and structure gently build to a serious crescendo. Fantastic harmony right through the very long finish. Drink from release.
Dönnhoff Riesling Nahe Norheimer Kirschheck Spätlese 2023 - 96 Points
Very juicy and very animating, this is a beautiful riesling Spätlese that’s light years removed from the cliches for this category. I love the delicacy of this very concentrated, yet light-footed wine that delights and fascinates as it dances its way over your palate and off into the distance. Drink or hold.
Dönnhoff Riesling Nahe Oberhäuser Leistenberg Kabinett 2023 - 96 Points
A stunningly elegant and vibrant riesling Kabinett that is packed with white peach and honeysuckle aromas. Succulent on the front of the light-bodied palate, then with a crystalline purity at the finish that takes your breath away. This is not analytically dry, but plenty of enthusiastic wine drinkers will say that is exactly what it is. Drink or hold. Screw cap.
Dönnhoff Riesling Nahe Niederhausen Trocken 2023 - 95 Points
The wonderful peach and floral aromas that pour from the glass make this super-elegant and super-precise dry Nahe riesling irresistible. Very pure and straight, with a northern coolness that precisely balances the restrained ripeness to create a compelling harmony on the barely medium-bodied palate. Drink or hold.
Dönnhoff Riesling Nahe Niederhäuser Klamm Kabinett 2023 - 95 Points
Terrific tension between juicy white tree fruit and grapefruit aromas and the smoky-stony side of the wine. So bright and energetic on the extremely focused, light-bodied palate. Laser-beam straight in the finish. Drink or hold. Screw cap.
Dönnhoff Riesling Nahe Höllenpfad EL 2023 - 94 Points
Complex and vibrant, with a slew of floral (think honeysuckle and wild rose) and spicy aromas, this is a really exciting medium-bodied dry riesling. Terrific drive and energy push this over the palate at a brisk clip, but behind this is a deep crushed-rock character that pulls you into the extremely long and bright finish. Drink or hold.
Dönnhoff Riesling Nahe Schlossböckelheim Trocken 2023 - 94 Points
Complex and vibrant, with a slew of floral (think honeysuckle and wild rose) and spicy aromas, this is a really exciting medium-bodied dry riesling. Terrific drive and energy push this over the palate at a brisk clip, but behind this is a deep crushed-rock character that pulls you into the extremely long and bright finish. Drink or hold.
Dönnhoff Riesling Nahe Tonschiefer Trocken 2023 - 94 Points
The vibrant aromas of white peaches and white blossoms are married to an intense slatey minerality in this sleek and precise dry Nahe riesling. Quite some structure, although it is barely medium-bodied. Wonderful stony intensity at the very long, bright finish. Drink or hold. Screw cap.
Dönnhoff Riesling Nahe 2023 - 93 Points
Brimming with floral, white-peach and Amalfi-lemon aromas, this is an extremely elegant, off-dry riesling with a wonderful lightness and purity. The appley freshness and apple-blossom aromas at the finish pull you back for more. Drink or hold. Screw cap.
Dönnhoff Riesling Nahe Trocken 2023 - 93 Points
Fantastic brilliance and a wealth of delicate stone-fruit and citrus aromas, also floral notes! Barely medium-bodied, but with all the attributes that make a dry Nahe riesling a thing of beauty to behold. Drink or hold. Screw cap.
Dönnhoff Riesling Nahe Kahlenberg EL 2023 - 93 Points
Anyone who usually finds the acidity of dry riesling a bit much should be a happy camper with this wine. Brimming with a fresh fruit salad of aromas, juicy and supple, it is also wonderfully refreshing and has a tingling spritz of natural carbon dioxide that lifts the juicy finish. Drink or hold.
Dönnhoff Riesling Nahe Kahlenberg EL 2023 - 93 Points
Anyone who usually finds the acidity of dry riesling a bit much should be a happy camper with this wine. Brimming with a fresh fruit salad of aromas, juicy and supple, it is also wonderfully refreshing and has a tingling spritz of natural carbon dioxide that lifts the juicy finish. Drink or hold.
Dönnhoff Riesling Nahe Kreuznacher Krötenpfuhl Kabinett 2023 - 93 Points
Brimming with tart-peach, ripe-gooseberry and lemon aromas, this is such a fresh and delightful Kabinett. Who could resist? Sleek and light in body with stunning freshness and purity that pulls you back for more. From the cool plateau of this site, which is within the town of Bad Kreuznach. Drink or hold. Screw cap.
