2009 Riesling Oberhäuser Brücke Eiswein

“When a year like 2014 gets discussed with journalists the word ‘difficult’ crops up repeatedly and that is what sticks in their minds and gets brought to bear when tasting,” notes Helmut Dönnhoff. “But 2015 was definitely not difficult! There wasn’t the difficulty of separating what [fruit] was good from what was bad. It was like in a school book illustration: ‘this is how ripe Riesling grapes are supposed to look.’” Dönnhoff grants that there was some drought stress, but only, he maintains, with very young vines. The main harvest took place from the end of the first week in October until the end of that month. That might seem like a relatively short time in which to finish, given that there was no rush. But, as Dönnhoff explains, “the weather was so good that we were able to harvest virtually every single day during that period. There was just one day,” he claims “when it rained a bit, but only enough to dampen the streets. Each day you could calmly plan what you were going to do the next. We did perform a pre-harvest selection as usual to cull any inferior fruit. But that went very rapidly. In Hermannshöhle it wasn’t even work, really – more just cosmetic. If we’d done nothing at that stage it probably wouldn’t have made any difference. If anything it was less a matter of removing inferior bunches than of dropping the whole crop from those few vines that looked less healthy. By contrast, at that same initial stage in 2014 we had begun thinking ‘at this rate we’re liable to discard half the harvest!’ There was no explosion of botrytis. Rather, what little there was dried nicely and you could easily recognize what to pick for nobly sweet wine.”

Helmut Dönnhoff perceives his recent crops of dry Riesling – for which, like all of the wines, his son Cornelius is overwhelmingly responsible in the cellar – as reflecting an attempt “to make a more puristic Riesling,” an aim – and phraseology – shared by a great many if not the majority of those German Riesling growers on whom I report. “To make such naked wines as these,” Dönnhoff senior avers, “you have to have the right material.” I would merely counter that I don’t consider nakedness in itself a virtue, and occasionally there are dry Dönnhoff Rieslings that I find myself wishing would display a bit more charm, a virtue hardly incompatible with precision, purity and mineral complexity. Certainly as regards the value of potential alcohol, Helmut Dönnhoff recognizes that “it’s not a bad thing that what were once our dreams are not being fulfilled” in that must weights in the mid-to-upper-nineties rather than a once sought-after hundred-plus are quite sufficient for dry Riesling. That realization partly explains why in 2015, he admits that picking began at least a little earlier than it would have if the same conditions had been present a decade ago, or indeed as it would have had he alone been calling the shots. But then, in view of how things turned out for growers who waited even longer to begin picking, it is far from certain that must weights would have risen significantly. The 2015 Grosse Gewächse here stayed on their full lees until just ahead of their mid-summer bottling which, as Helmut Dönnhoff points out, represents a radical divergence from the repeated rackings practiced by top Nahe estates back when he was training in the 1960s. (Time constraints unfortunately precluded my tasting of Dönnhoffs Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris bottlings of the 2015 vintage. For more about recent developments at this estate, consult the introduction to my account of its 2014s.)

At the end of June, Helmut Dönnhoff will officially hand over his family’s estate to his son Cornelius. As Cornelius had already taken responsibility for the cellar years ago, leaving his father with more time in the vineyards, the transition will certainly be more of title than of substance. The true change that occurred here recently involved a substantial expansion in vineyard holdings, in particular on the lower Nahe near Kreuznach, where Helmut had once studied. After a couple vintages that were perhaps not quite up to the high standards they set for themselves, 2013 appears to be back on track, with Rieslings that are as serene, gentle and impeccably balanced as the grand old man himself. Few people are such an integral part of their region as Helmut Dönnhoff, embodying in a way its beauty, its charm and the story its soils have to tell. Cornelius certainly has large shoes to fill. He is probably even more technically proficient than his father, and he already travels more than Helmut ever did in order to talk about his vision. Judging from the poise and clarity of some of the wines he bottled this year, he knows where he is going.

Helmut Donnhoff has a status in Germany that can only be compared to that of Egon Muller.The wines as well as the man are legendary, virtually a national monument.A meticulous traditionalist, his classical spatleses have always been his strong suit.And, as he often reiterates, "the quality of a vintage can be read like tea leaves in each of these wines."After the baroque richness of 2003 his 2004s shine with crystalline texture and precise articulation-or, as he says, "with minerality and elegance."And each vineyard has its own distinct character, like so many children from different wives.Although not often seen in the States, his dry Grosses Gewachs have improved remarkably over the last two vintages and now garner the same accolades in Germany that his spatleses do abroad.(Terry Theise) Also recommended: 2004 Oberhauser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett (85), 2004 Niederhauser Dellchen Riesling Spatlese Trocken (86).

Helmut Donnhoff was never tempted to harvest early this year since taste told him that the flavors were not yet there. He rigorously dropped bunches, but this simply compensated, he opined, for the overly generous crop set by nature. Despite what is frequently asserted about overwhelmingly hot, ripe vintages, Donnhoff observed enormous differences in flavor from parcel to parcel, leading him to bottle, for instance, two different Hermannshohle Spatlesen. While he insisted that it was difficult to pick for Auslese this year, those results Donnhoff did achieve-from a combination of healthy gold-green fruit and shriveled botrytis berries-are extraordinary. "Hermannshohle is a race car," observes Donnhoff, "whereas Brucke lends itself to waiting and to a spread-out harvest. " (Terry Theise) Also recommended: 2003 Riesling Trocken, 2003 Oberhauser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett Trocken, 2003 Riesling, 2003 Norheimer Kirschheck Riesling Spatlese.

Given the elegance, brightness and clarity that characterize most of the best wines of 2002, I imagined that Helmut Donnhoff's wines would embody these characteristics in spades - and I was not disappointed. "The true quality of a vintage," he opined, "can be read from the Spatlesen. For me, the Pradikat Spatlese is the classic German riesling. It's the essence of Spatlese that the inherent complexity of the vineyard is in there. 2002 is a great Spatlese vintage, and that is where I put my energy, to see if I could outsmart the vineyard and capture its soul in the picking. "Seldom will you taste a range of riesling Spatlesen so distinctively and eloquently evocative of their sites and so complex and perfectly proportioned as those Donnhoff has rendered this year. "Perhaps, 2001 is just a bit coarser, a bit more difficult," he continued, "whereas 2002 is just unbelievably charming. "I could not find a better word to describe the entire vintage. (Terry Theise) Also recommended: 2002 Riesling.

Given the elegance, brightness and clarity that characterize most of the best wines of 2002, I imagined that Helmut Donnhoff's wines would embody these characteristics in spades - and I was not disappointed. "The true quality of a vintage," he opined, "can be read from the Spatlesen. For me, the Pradikat Spatlese is the classic German riesling. It's the essence of Spatlese that the inherent complexity of the vineyard is in there. 2002 is a great Spatlese vintage, and that is where I put my energy, to see if I could outsmart the vineyard and capture its soul in the picking. "Seldom will you taste a range of riesling Spatlesen so distinctively and eloquently evocative of their sites and so complex and perfectly proportioned as those Donnhoff has rendered this year. "Perhaps, 2001 is just a bit coarser, a bit more difficult," he continued, "whereas 2002 is just unbelievably charming. "I could not find a better word to describe the entire vintage. (Terry Theise) Also recommended: 2002 Riesling.

"Thex000D ripeness and quality of fruit this year were remarkably consistent," saysx000D Donnhoff, echoing sentiments he voiced about his wonderful 1997s as well.x000D "It was hard to harvest reallyx000D high-level Pradikat wines, but on the other hand it was hard to harvest anyx000D really simple wine either. The startingx000D point on the first day was already 85 Oechsle, but there was 100 Oechsle in thex000D top vineyards without selection. So onex000D thought naturally enough If it that high right off the bat, imagine thex000D results when we start selecting, but that notion was deceptive and in fact itx000D was extremely difficult to achieve much more. x000D The bunches and the berries within them were quite homogeneous inx000D ripeness. It as if each vine did itsx000D duty, neither more nor less." Thex000D sweet spot of the vintage for Donnhoff, stylistically speaking, was off-dryx000D Spatlese, harvested late in October or early in November.x000D At this point, there was already a subtle,x000D fine botrytis - less than in the great '89s here, but more than in his '90s, whichx000D Donnhoff has always insisted lacked ultimate complexity and concentration onx000D account of their absence of noble rot. x000D Donnhoff describes 2001 as his year of flying blindx000D "Since I did no analyses besides whatx000D is required by law," he explains with evident delight, "I wasn't keptx000D awake worrying about numbers that didn't seem to agree with the taste.x000D Either the balance was there or it wasn't,x000D period." (Terry Theise)Also recommended: 2001x000D Norheimer Dellchen Riesling Spatlese Trocken, 2001 Norheimer Dellchen Kabinettx000D Riesling Halbtrocken ($24), 2001 Riesling, 2001 Oberhauser Brucke Riesling BA.

On a few previous occasions, Helmut Donnhoff has fielded the strongest German riesling collection of an entire vintage.That was manifestly the case in 2000. The clarity, complexity, and sheer charm exhibited by this group of wines is extraordinary even by the exalted standards of this domain. How did he do it? In a word: selection. "I told my team," he explained, "if you're not certain about whether to take a particular bunch, then throw it away!? You might miss some fat and potential alcohol in the finished wines that way, but you'll gain clarity. Every vintage has its compromises. In each week, there were two or three days so wet you simply couldn't pick, but I marched everybody out to do leaf removal." The best wines were harvested in late October or early November. (Terry Theise)

On a few previous occasions, Helmut Donnhoff has fielded the strongest German riesling collection of an entire vintage.That was manifestly the case in 2000. The clarity, complexity, and sheer charm exhibited by this group of wines is extraordinary even by the exalted standards of this domain. How did he do it? In a word: selection. "I told my team," he explained, "if you're not certain about whether to take a particular bunch, then throw it away!? You might miss some fat and potential alcohol in the finished wines that way, but you'll gain clarity. Every vintage has its compromises. In each week, there were two or three days so wet you simply couldn't pick, but I marched everybody out to do leaf removal." The best wines were harvested in late October or early November. (Terry Theise)

Helmut Donnhoff captured '99s of refinement and clarity, even when judged by his standards, which are certainly as demanding as any in Germany. Selection of sufficiently healthy, green-gold fruit was, he claims, a critical ingredient in this success. I did not have the opportunity to taste the dry end of the collection. (Terry Theise)

It was the end of October, says Helmut Donnhoff, before you could harvest anything decent this year. And had he wanted to jump the gun, the rain-swollen Nahe would have defied his attempts to bring grapes across! Here, too, riesling hung on through the rain, its best fruits not picked until mid-November, and revealing in the cellar and the bottle all of the glories for which these sites and Donnhoff's winemaking artistry are by now famous. (With heavy heart, I have omitted notes on all but the one most spectacular of Donnhoff's dry '98s, as none of them will be traveling to America.) (Terry Theise)

Helmut Donnhoff, like Crusius, ended up with a third of a normal crop. "At the beginning of the summer, it looked as though it would be a lot worse than that," says Donnhoff. "In many sites, I thought there would be no wine. Surprisingly, nature repairs what can be repaired. By autumn, I was optimistic that I might have at least one fuder from each vineyard, a full set of wines, and in effect I succeeded in that." Succeeded as well, I hasten to add, in bottling several of the most vividly site-saturated, breathtakingly complex wines I have encountered at this address. (And long-time readers of this journal--or better yet, tasters of Donnhoff wines-will recognize what a startling claim that is.) Certainly the tiny yields played a significant role in this quality but, says Helmut, "you have to realize that with only 15 hectoliters per hectare it not as though you can achieve that much more than you can with 30 hectoliters. At 30 you can have great wine too, but at 15 you have only half as much! The critical thing for 1997 quality was wonderful weather throughout the harvest period. You could really play around a bit. Only you had to watch out that you didn't drop too much acidity, and after the first of November the jig was up as far as greatness was concerned." Many of the wines for which prices are not provided did not reach American shores and those that did are highly rationed, but I include some notes for perspective's sake. (Terry Theise)