2011 Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese Versteigerung Hermann Dönnhoff, Nahe (0,75l)

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - 2011 Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese Versteigerung, Hermann Dönnhoff

”It’s only thanks to greatly increased acreage” – a near doubling, as explained in my Issue 192 report – “that I am now able to achieve a wine like this,” explains Helmut Donnhoff of his 2011 Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese, the second of its ilk back-to-back. It was selected-out in the same week as its Auslese and Beerenauslese counterparts, but as part of a separate picking, which was further winnowed at the press house and eventually resulted in 85- liters of concentrate that finished fermenting and were bottled not long before I tasted it near summers’ end. Extremely high-toned and penetrating scents of pear distillate, Chartreuse, maraschino, and almond extract roar from the glass, bringing to attention not just the hairs in my nostrils, but those on the back of my neck! Viscous and creamy yet persistently vibrant thanks to not only its (largely hidden) springs of acidity but also its persistently volatile elements this coats the palate with an impression of honey and marzipan, caramel and maraschino syrup, finishing with phenomenal, if as yet somewhat undifferentiated and extremely sweet persistence. Blessed is he who one day has a chance to compare this back-to-back with its stunning 2010 counterpart (about which I raved in Issue 198). If possible, give either of them 15-20 years before you even think about tucking into a bottle. - David Schildknecht, Feb. 2013