Dönnhoff Riesling 2023

Weingut Hermann Dönnhoff produces this dry Riesling in the Nahe, a valley whose winemaking records reach back to 1761. The estate works around twenty-eight hectares of vines between fifteen and sixty-five years old, planted on sandstone, slate and eroded volcanic rock, with Riesling making up the great majority alongside a little Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris. The Nahe is prized for geological variety, and this mix of soils gives the wine its layered mineral character, sandstone lending fruit and roundness, slate and volcanic rock a stony, smoky tension. The moderate climate and the estate's cool sites hold the fruit's fresh acidity, while manual harvesting allows careful selection of ripe, healthy grapes. The wine is fermented dry and kept away from new oak to preserve its clarity and cut. The colour is pale with green highlights. The nose is fresh and precise, lemon and green apple over white peach and pear with a floral lift. The palate is light, dry and taut, with a fine saline minerality and racy acidity carrying a long, clean finish. At 11.5% it stays bright and low in alcohol. Serve chilled at 9 to 11 degrees.