Beyond Hermannshöhle
2009 Dönnhoff DELLCHEN Grosses Gewächs
"A great wine." - John Gilman, View from the Cellar
Little can be said about Helmut Dönnhoff that isn't already widely known: He's one of Germany's greatest winemakers, a legend alongside Manfred Prüm and Egon Müller.
However, unlike Prüm and Müller, who without a doubt have their most cherished sites (the Wehlener Sonnenuhr and Scharzhofberger, respectively ), Dönnhoff has a more expansive, broader approach.
Even though the Hermannshöhle is often considered the gem in his stable, Dönnhoff has a curious mind, farming nine diverse sites that offer a comprehensive course in what Nahe Riesling can be.
So today we honor the breadth of his vision - today we go "beyond Hermannshöhle" to highlight one of my absolute favorite Dönnhoff bottlings: The Norheimer Dellchen GG.
And we bring this last parcel to the market discounted to the same price as our initial "futures" offering. It won't get better than this and it won't last. So grab as many as you can, because this will develop in the cellar for the next decade, at least.
In 2009, this bottle is stunning. If the Hermannshöhle is the most complete of Dönnhoff's "Grand Cru" dry wines, the Dellchen is for me the sharpest, the most energetic, the most mineral, the clearest, the purest.
The perfume is FRESH, that "spring garden after a rainshower" thing that throws up a medley of herbs and stones, finely zested with incredibly pure green citrus. On the palate the wine is fine, the finest of Dönnhoff's GGs, wielding grapefruit and lime like a scalpel; a wine that nearly overwhelms the palate with mineral and extract. John Gilman's glowing review is below.
Having any stock of Dönnhoff's great dry wines this late in the game is something of a miracle. It's a great, great vintage for Dönnhoff and on top of that, because of the dip in the Euro last year these wines come to market well, well below the prices for both 2007 and 2008.
With 2010 being a small vintage and the Euro back on the rise, buyers are well advised to take advantage of this opportunity. Given the strength of Dönnhoff's following, these will likely disappear quickly.
Please give us your maximum order and we'll do our best - though all orders are subject to confirmation. To order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Stephen Bitterolf
Wine Director
Crush Wine & Spirits
2009 Donnhoff Dellchen Grosses Gewächs (GG)
View from the Cellar: "The first of the stunning lineup of Grosses Gewächs in the cellars this year shown by Herr Dönnhoff was the magical Dellchen. This wine displays utterly profound depth in its aromatic mélange of sweet grapefruit, oranges, wild yeasts, glorious slate tones, citrus oils, incipient notes of petrol and a distinctive, smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and utterly refined, as it simply dances across the palate. The wine is rock solid at the core, delivers snappy acids, laser-like focus and a huge, racy and impeccably balanced finish that goes on and on and on. A great wine."
NET | No further discount