Dönnhoff Riesling Trocken Höllenpfad Im Mühlenberg GG 2021

The year 2021 marks a return to the classic vintage style after a long time – something that Cornelius Dönnhoff had not experienced this century, but which his father Helmut had found common, with late harvests in October and November. At Dönnhoff, the harvest took place about two to three weeks later than in recent years, as there were no heat waves, but rather frequent rains without storms. The biggest challenge of the harvest was Downy mildew, which required meticulous work to protect the vines and maintain the foliage to ensure ventilation and plant health. Without this care, as well as a late harvest, the physiological ripeness of the grapes would not have been achieved in 2021.

Harvesting began in the last week of September and lasted until the second week of November, when the nights were already considerably cold. The sugar levels in the must were low, but the grapes were still ripe despite the high acidity. With a well-structured team, Dönnhoff was able to harvest at the ideal time in each vineyard. Since there was practically no botrytis in the central Nahe region, it was not possible to produce Beerenauslesen and Trockenbeerenauslesen, only Eiswein.

The musts remained cool due to the cold nights and could be processed without rushing.

The fact that the 2021 wines were able to balance the high acidity (10 g/L) without the need for residual sugar surprised even the Dönnhoff team at the beginning of the harvest. However, some of the acidity precipitated in the form of tartar, resulting in wines that were riper and rounder on the palate than expected in the fall. To neutralize the acidity naturally (with potassium and calcium), the musts were left in contact with the skins for longer than usual, allowing the tartaric acid to find binding elements and, in part, precipitate, provided the wine had enough time for this process.

The vintage results were exceptional, especially at Dönnhoff, with the Grosses Gewächs (GG) and the Auslese category standing out. The GG from Dellchen reached a perfect moment at the end of July, but continued to impress even four weeks later at a tasting in Wiesbaden.