2023 Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Grosse Gewachs

Donnhoff make the best wines in the Nahe region, and some of the finest anywhere in the world. While it was Helmut Donnhoff that launched this estate to worldwide attention, winemaking duties are now managed by his talented son, Cornelius. There's a deep understanding of the grand wines and grand vineyards that's been handed down through the generations. And given the enormous technical proficiency Cornelius has demonstrated so far, Donnhoff is sure to be at the top of the vinous hierarchy for years to come.

Other Reviews....
The 2023 Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling trocken GG opens deep, pure, intense and stony on the nose that is, to be honest, much more sophisticated than the Brücke GG. The wine is finely juicy as well as savory on the palate, probably not bone dry in terms of analysis but always in tension and never settling on the palate, as if it was just an idea of Riesling and not its materialization. This Hermannshöhle is not a cave (which it is only named after) but a bright Riesling ray to the heavens, a lasting flash of lightning from a thunderstorm that cannot be disliked or remain undrunk, even today. If you need a salty and spicy yet always seductively round palate-tickler now, please go ahead. But those who like to let the wine mature will not lose out. 13% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted in August and October 2024. Drink 2029-2055.
96+ points
Stephan Reinhardt - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2023 Riesling Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Grosses Gewächs, from a south-facing shale site with just a few calcareous veins, is golden in color. The vines were planted in 1949, and they now bring just small yields of tiny berries with a different pulp/skin ratio. A gorgeous lift tells of citrus zest, with an ethereal touch of crushed citrus leaf and spicier herb. The palate is crystalline. It's a clear-cut, taut, pure vision of stone and citrus. This is a pure, poised, precise and concentrated wine. Time and again, it is astonishing that so much flavor, stone and energy can be captured in a wine of such taut proportions at 12.5% alcohol. What an experience! There is no reliance on power, volume or fat, just slenderness, elegance and essence. (Bone-dry) Drink 2034-2070.
96-98 points
Anne Krebiehl MW - Vinous

Incredibly refined and precise, yet with Grand Canyon-like depths and layers, this incredible dry riesling has a horizon-to-horizon spectrum of stone fruit, citrus and wild berry aromas, plus a touch of dusty hot soil as rain starts to fall on it. On the compact, medium-bodied palate, this side of the wine builds and builds to a giant crescendo in the almost endless finish. Drink or hold.
100 points
Stuart Pigott - JamesSuckling.com