Dönhoff Estate Riesling 2019

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

About Dönnhoff

From an interview by the VDP.

VDP: What is so special about your winery?

Cornelius Dönnhoff: We have been at home here in Oberhausen an der Nahe for more than 250 years, in the scenic valley between Niederhausen and Schloßböckelheim. We are known worldwide for our elegant Rieslings, which reflect the geological diversity of our region’s soils in an exciting way. We are very lucky to cultivate our Rieslings in some of the most famous locations of the Nahe. We take up this challenge with joy, in responsibility for nature and our homeland. With Niederhausen and Oberhausen, Schloßböckelheim, Norheim as well as Roxheim and Bad Kreuznach, our property diversifies widely and covers dozens of rock types and soil characteristics which are reflected in our wines. With us you have the whole white variety of the Nahe in one enterprise!

VDP: What is your winery philosophy?

Cornelius Dönnhoff: We love our historical roots and are responsible for the vineyards on the Middle Nahe, the senses of landscape and wine culture. In harmony with and out of respect for nature.

VDP: What wine style do you strive for? Do you have a favourite grape variety?

Cornelius Dönnhoff: Riesling is quite clear, with the focus here on very clear, complex, long-lived, mineral and refined wines that reflect their origins. But we also take the Burgundy varieties very seriously, which account for 20 percent of the area under cultivation.

VDP: Which of your wines would you recommend to someone who does not yet know your winery – as an introduction, so to speak?

Cornelius Dönnhoff: Just a sip of Tonschiefer Riesling is enough to get to know and understand our winery and our wines. This wine already has a clear terroir connection. The fragile black-grey slate is perfect for wonderfully elegant wines. A full-bodied, mineral wine with a fruit aroma rich in finesse and a fine acidity play, mainly from the VDP.GROSSEN LAGE® LEISTENBERG in Oberhausen. Drinks himself to every occasion with a lot of pleasure!

VDP: Which wine are you particularly proud of?

Cornelius Dönnhoff: To the VDP.GROSSE GEWÄCHS® from the location HERMANNSHÖHLE in Niederhausen. A wine from one of the most famous of all Nahe sites. A pure southern exposure, 130 to 175 meters above sea level. The soils are mostly black-grey slate, mixed with volcanic eruptive rock, porphyry and limestone. Here grow grandiose wines, both dry and noble sweet predicates, which with their complexity, strength, elegance and storability have contributed much to the good reputation of German wines worldwide. We won the German Riesling Cup four times with this extraordinary wine.

VDP: What are your next goals?

Cornelius Dönnhoff: After the harvest is before the harvest, so the new vintage should always be your next goal.

VDP: How do you combine tradition and innovation?

Cornelius Dönnhoff: The one does not exclude the other. The deep understanding for great vineyards in extraordinary locations has shaped our family. The love for the vines and the annual new dream of unmistakable wines have been passed on over the generations. Of course, innovations also flow into our business processes if they bring us a little closer to our goal.

In the Vineyard

In the Winery

Where in the World are Dönnhoff’s Wines Made?

Dönnhoff is based in Oberhausen in the Nahe to the west of the Rheinhessen and south of the Reingau. Dönnhoff have plantings across all of the great sites in the Nahe.