2013 Riesling Oberhäuser Brücke Auslese

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.