Awesome news from the Riesling realm! We have some stellar new-release wines from Dönnhoff to complement a broad range from this master of his craft.
These landed just as Cornelius Dönnhoff and Philipp Wittmann set sail from our shores following a flying visit, during which they sprinkled their magic dust on Sydney and Melbourne.
They also gave an exceptionally enlightening interview to the Vininspo! podcast in partnership with CellarHand. You can listen to it here; we highly recommend it for the insight it offers into Riesling, German terroir, regional differences, personal approaches and more.
Cornelius and Philipp also articulated what they enjoyed about each other’s wines. Here’s Philipp on what he loves about Dönnhoff: “They’re the most elegant wines I know from Germany in these styles, and Cornelius figured out how to produce dry-style Riesling with a lot of texture, with a lot of density and vibration and amazing mineral-type characteristics. He gets it to have ripeness on the one hand and be extremely elegant on the other. His off-dry and sweet styles are so dancing, elegant and ripe, and that’s quite special. If you talk about Dönnhoff, it’s elegance.”
These new arrivals exemplify those virtues; dive on in!
Dry and off-dry wines
2024 Dönnhoff Nahe Riesling RRP $43
Light and racy, this off-dry Riesling is crafted by none other than the Riesling King, Cornelius Dönnhoff. It serves as an introduction to the Nahe’s viticultural finesse and is the perfect entry-level wine to showcase its unique terroir. Rounded and generous, this wine is fresh with notes of crisp apple, luscious pear and slight hints of spice. It is juicy, pure and moreish with mouthwatering minerality. A delightful choice for both connoisseurs and newcomers to the world of Riesling.
2024 Dönnhoff Estate Riesling RRP $54
Magnum RRP $138
The 2024 Riesling trocken is a mix of many more sites than the usual Oberhäuser Felsenberg and Kieselberg, but it is entirely from volcanic and slate soils. An immediate touch of peach on the nose sets the scene for fruit, ripeness, clarity and freshness. The palate is totally strait-laced, zesty and ripe, with a sunny aspect. This is svelte and immensely fresh. The 2024 is an absolutely clear-cut, lip-smacking Riesling. 91 points. Anne Krebiehl MW, Vinous Jun 2025
2023 Dönnhoff Kreuznacher Kahlenberg Riesling Erstes Gewächs RRP $89
Anyone who usually finds the acidity of dry riesling a bit much should be a happy camper with this wine. Brimming with a fresh fruit salad of aromas, juicy and supple, it is also wonderfully refreshing and has a tingling spritz of natural carbon dioxide that lifts the juicy finish. Drink or hold. 93 Points Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com
2023 Dönnhoff Felsenberg Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $181
Radically smoky and massively structured in spite of being only medium-bodied, this astonishingly dry riesling expresses the personality of this volcanic site with great authority and precision. So much spice, structure and hardness in the positive sense, meaning that this is not a wine for the faint of heart. Massive power in the imposing finish, yet absolutely clean and bright. Drink or hold. 98 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com Aug 2024
Prädikat Riesling from exceptional sites:
2023 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Klamm Riesling Kabinett RRP $69
Terrific tension between juicy white tree fruit and grapefruit aromas and the smoky-stony side of the wine. So bright and energetic on the extremely focused, light-bodied palate. Laser-beam straight in the finish. Drink or hold. Screw cap. 95 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com
2024 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett RRP $75
The 2024 Riesling Oberhäuser Leistenberg Kabinett was grown on shale on this cool site. Its stony verve adds a touch of lemon zest on the nose. The palate is lightness itself, gently sweet but like a summer breeze carrying notions of clover. This is breezy and stony but tender on the finish. The 2024 is almost weightless. 95 points. Anne Krebiehl MW, Vinous Jun 2025
2022 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Spätlese RRP $114
A great Spatlese that has deep apricot and mandarin orange fruit with delicate mint and tarragon aromas. Staggering vitality and brilliance on the extremely focused and precise palate. Enormous wet stone character at the super-long finish. From organically grown grapes with Fair’n Green certification. Drink or hold. 97 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com
2023 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Spätlese RRP $114
When worlds collide. The tension between the cool, dark side (think Darth Vader) and the enormous brightness of the stone fruit (think Luke Skywalker) makes this astonishing riesling Spatlese extremely compelling. The most beautiful pineapple and grapefruit aromas. Fabulous freshness at the stunningly straight and pure finish. Drink or hold. 98 points. Stuart Pigott, Jamessuckling.com Aug 2024
2023 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Auslese (375ml) RRP $114
Auslese might sound cuddly to some, but this is a very radical wine with gigantic concentration of cool tropical fruit and mineral acidity. Electric glide on the medium- to full-bodied palate. The finish is all blue and green in spite of the extraordinary yellow fruit on the nose and front palate. And with that, only the most basic characteristics of this extraordinary wine are adequately described. Drink or hold. 99 points. Stuart Pigott, JamesSuckling.com Aug 2024
Also available:
2018 Dönnhoff Riesling Brut Nature RRP $96
100% Riesling from barrel no. 1802. The organically grown grapes are harvested by hand from the Oberhausen vineyards. Clay shale soils and steep terrain slopes provide ideal conditions for Riesling. The southeast-oriented slopes ensure enough morning sun, which dries the excess moisture. The afternoon sun is no longer so direct and supports a long ripening period without overripe. An ideal vineyard for the cabinet with high minerality and sophisticated elegance. The grapes are raised in used stück barrels. Thereafter, a classic bottle fermentation is followed by aging the wine cellar. After spontenous fermentation, the base wine was vinified in very old oak barrels. After 44 months of maturation, the wine is then hand riddled and disgorged. – Cornelius Dönnhoff
2021 Dönnhoff ‘Dopplestück’ Weißburgunder & Grauburgunder RRP $66
A blend of Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris grown on the slopes of the Middle Nahe on weathered volcanic soil and loess loam. The full-bodied Burgundian varieties mature in large oak barrels, leading to a wine of wonderful harmony, body and elegance.
Fermentation for approx. 6 months’ maturation in traditional large German oak barrels, the Doppelstück (2400 litres).
2021 Dönnhoff ‘Marama’ Sauvignon Blanc RRP $68
Focused on a ‘New World’ style of Sauvignon blanc, the Marama was created with the idea of preserving freshness and purity of primary fruit character of the grapes. The resulting wine is bright, lively and fresh with a good acid balance and shows off the ability of Sauvignon Blanc to express vibrant tropical fruit characters. Best enjoyed young and fresh with no need to cellar. – Cornelius Dönnhoff
