Nah, Nothing's Really Different

I’m not alone in admiring the wines of Donnhoff in the Nahe region of Germany.  Many critics and enthusiasts with far better palates and credentials have heaped high praise on the wines.  SWMBO and I have loved the ‘fruit-sweet’ wines that are more traditional from our perspective.  The Kabinetts are great all-rounders, and for something more decadent, the Spatlese wines do the job.  The Auslesen soar to greatness, but we have them rarely, as they are limited in release and not inexpensive.

However, we’ve come to appreciate the Trocken wines from Donnhoff recently too.  They were initially a bit of a departure from what we were used to, but we haven’t been disappointed.  Afterall, there’s still the search for highest quality, best expression of site, and sheer balance in the Donhoff wines, whether Trocken or ‘fruit-sweet’.  Nah, there’s really nothing different in these Nahe wines!

 

This was borne out at our lunch with The Orbiter.  The 2014 Donnhoff Roxheimer Hollenpfad 1 Riesling Trocken was our contribution to the proceedings.  A little yellow colour, then a solid volume of aromatics, showing classical white and yellow florals, citrus fruit and minerals in a wonderful amalgam.  Sure, it’s dry on the palate, with plenty of body and presence.  But oozing finesse and real German minerality.  There’s the softness of the Rheingau, but allied to the freshness of the Mosel.  Exactly what Nahe should be.  This is pure terroir and regionality, without any sugar distraction.  And so easy to enjoy.  It wasn’t long before the bottle was finished.