Allin

Dönnhoff 2008 Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Trocken “GG” 25 09 (Nahe)– Petroleum to start. Rinds, rocks, and rectangular reds in both form and aroma. Turns ever more rusty as it finishes (and this takes a while). Striking. (5/10)

Down in a höhle

Dönnhoff 2001 Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Spätlese 008 02 (Nahe) – A misty memory of dust. Peachy-creamy and supple. Is it “better” than it was in its youth? I don’t know if I accept the utility of that word here. I liked it young. I like it differently now. (5/10)

Brücke shields

Dönnhoff 2000 Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Eiswein 021 01 (Nahe) – From 375 ml…but that’s really all you’ll ever need. Exposed iron strata with crystallized strawberry, awesome acidity yet exquisite balance, and infinitely long. Breathtaking. (12/09)

Finkenauer, or two if you need them

Finkenauer 2005 Kreuznacher Osterhölt Riesling Spätlese Semi-Dry 18 06 (Nahe) – Straining and stretching, seemingly forcing itself into a misty, photo-negative role it’s not quite built for. Its minerality is worn on the exterior, the apple skin and gale-force winds that comprise the wine’s “fruit” are in the interior. This is a reversal of riesling’s usual form, and while it’s interesting, I’m not sure it’s to the wine’s benefit. Emphasis, in that last sentence, on the “not sure”; I’m more than a little uncertain about how to assess this wine? Good? Trying to hard? I dunno. (10/09)

Catch hheck

Dönnhoff 2001 Norheimer Kirschheck Riesling Spätlese 006 02 (Nahe) – Fairly creamy (already, which is pretty common for Dönnhoff), ranging from slightly underripe stone fruit to a salt-sugar mix that slightly muddles the structure, though I can’t say that the wine really suffers much as a result. Not an intellectual wine, but not really an emotional one either; mostly, it’s about overt and superior pleasantness. (7/09)

Brücke Shields

Dönnhoff 2007 Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Spätlese 07 08 (Nahe) – Soft and creamy, with tangerine. Pulsating. The full, rich texture isn’t really offset by anything else, to the point where it becomes worrisomely plush. (4/09)

Haus of walls

Schloss Wallhausen 2005 Riesling Spätlese 14 06 (Nahe) – Perfectly correct German riesling…acid, sugar, and lemon-apple fruit all intact…with nothing that adds to, or detracts from, the basic fact of it. (4/09)

One bourbon, one Scotch, & one beerenauslese

Anheuser 1999 Kreuznacher Krötenpfuhl Riesling Beerenauslese 049 00 (Nahe) – Extremely sweet, of course, apple, grapefruit, spice, raspberry. A touch of alcohol, believe it or not. This has been opened specifically for me, because apparently I liked it too much in the past. Well, I still like it, though not as much as before. It’s not particularly complex, for sure. But it’s sweet riesling with red fruit notes. Where’s the bad? (3/09)

To heck with the cherry

Dönnhoff 2003 Norheimer Kirschheck Riesling Spätlese 005 04 (Nahe) – Tangerine fatness at first sniff, which firms up to a long, columnar midpalate with only a little clinging fat. The finish is short. Everything in this wine happens way up front, and while it’s not bad for an ’03, it’s a little like a tin recreation of a riesling rather than the real thing. Eh. (12/08)

Kruger National Park

Kruger-Rumpf 2004 Scheurebe Kabinett 24 05 (Nahe) – Green grapes and some perfumed tropicality, with just enough acidity to keep it from being syrup, and a few vague gestures in the direction of rocky minerality. Drinkable, for sure, but just as surely forgettable. (12/08)

Krötenpfuhl moon

Dönnhoff 2006 Kreuznacher Krötenpfuhl Riesling Spätlese 09 07 (Nahe) – Petrol and wet soil, naked and yet refreshed by balanced sweetness. Still, this lacks the precision and definition I’d like; it’s a good wine, but not a very good wine. (6/08)

Brücken record

Dönnhoff 2005 Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Spätlese 99 06 (Nahe) – From magnum. I regularly adore this wine, and 2005 is not only no exception, it’s a standout. The nervosity is simply brilliant, with a finely-honed poise between structure and ripe white-yellow fruit as the foundation for a succulent, enticing sweetness. Very, very primary, but with wonders to spare. (8/07)

Cherry liqueur

Dönnhoff 2004 Norheimer Kirschheck Riesling Spätlese 13 05 (Nahe) – Hugely aromatic and bright. Dried apple skins, dried white flower petals. Very precise, with great acidity. Clear and clean. The finish is lengthy and well-supported. This is why one drinks German riesling. (4/08)

My zinger

Emrich-Schönleber 1999 Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Auslese 24 00 (Nahe) – Sweet and trying to be crisp, but somehow muted and gauzy. Closed? I’m not quite sure what’s going on here. (4/08)