2011 Niederhauser Hermannshohle Auslese Goldkapsel

One of three products of botrytis selection in this site that extended into January, the Donnhoff 2011 Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Auslese gold capsule strikingly combines custardy richness of texture and honeyed ennoblement with bright acidity; a wellspring of primary juiciness; and salinity that will milk you salivary glands for all that they are worth. Fresh orange with its candied rind; white peach jelly with piquancy of pit fruits; buddleia and lilac; passion fruit, nut pastes and vanilla cream add to the luscious allure of this remarkable libation. A faint aura of truffle and musk emerges with airing – no doubt pointing toward the extremely late picking of by then relatively mature yet still fine botrytis. Dynamically multidimensional, yet sharing with its Brucke counterpart a soothing sense of harmony, this almost endlessly fascinating as well as endlessly lingering wine deserves to be followed for three decades. The Donnhoff crew participated in a massive “pre-harvest” in late September to cull those few but pervasive bunches that had picked up vinegar from marauding yellow jackets or contracted early and unpromising-looking botrytis. “Immediately after that,” relates Helmut Donnhoff, “we picked the Pinots, and then started in on Riesling, but there was no stress thanks to the stable weather. We picked each vineyard twice more, once chiefly for botrytis and once for the rest. I’ve never seen more beautiful grapes – everywhere you looked, regardless of vineyard. Any mistakes I made could only be in their cellar upbringing. It got so warm during the day that some pickers went shirtless. There was no difficulty with fruit harvested in the morning, but in the afternoon – since we don’t have a cooling chamber – we had to rush each lot of fruit straight to the cellar to be pressed, so that we could then cool-down the juice.” As a group, this year’s dry wines are a surprisingly austere group especially for their vintage. They also display relatively full body, hovering close to 13.5% alcohol – half a percent over what Helmut Donnhoff says is his target. He offered a revealing comment this year in opining that “lots of young growers today are too eager and extreme in the pursuit of perfection in their fruit. Dividing of clusters and trimming-off any perceived imperfection at the pre-harvest stage is impractical, and in fact you need those ... call them little scars (Narben), otherwise the wine becomes too polished and glib (glatt), even boring. Each cluster can have a bit of under-ripeness and all manner of things (alles Mogliche). That diversity (Buntheit) is incredibly important.” Another insight-rich Donnhoff observation: “To interpret each of these sites as it is, requires that one operate with and produce wine of a certain restraint” – that remark apropos of his trio of Grosse Gewachse, but no doubt intended to apply across the board. “That is my responsibility,” he adds, “but of course also my great pleasure. (My son) Cornelius didn’t pay any special attention in managing the vineyards as to whether it was Hermannshohle or Kirschheck – they all got the same degree of attention and the same treatment. We do high-class work, and that’s that. So the differences you taste don’t reflect any favoritism.” I debated whether to publish my initial note on a highly promising Pinot Noir that is entirely Cornelius Donnhoff’s project, but since it is an inaugural effort and won’t be bottled before mid-2013 I’ll wait until next year and report from bottle. Importer:Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

A generous array of fruit aromas includes peaches, mirabelles, oranges and even more exotic notes. An abundance of ripe juicy fruit also envelops the palate and a delicate touch of caramel and toffee takes the imbiber into a stratosphere of indulgence. Don’t expect the trivial pleasures though of sticky pudding or death by honey, an invigorating freshness has been masterfully retained. (MS)