Donnhoff

The Dönnhoff winery, one of the highly respected names in German winemaking, is situated in the small village of Oberhausen, in the middle reaches of the River Nahe. This winery has set high standards for Riesling, perfectly combining mineral notes, balance and ageing potential; over the past few decades, it has made a huge contribution to the Nahe region’s return to the international stage, allowing it to stand shoulder to shoulder with the better-known regions of the Mosel and the Rheingau.

History

The Dönhoff family moved to Oberhausen around 1750 and ran a traditional mixed farm, including livestock, market gardening and a small vineyard. The winery we know today was in fact founded by Helmut Dönhoff. In 1971, when he took over the winery from his father Hermann II (Hermann Jr.), he had just four hectares of vineyards at his disposal. He sold the rest of the farmland and focused all his efforts on producing high-quality wines.

In 1999, Helmut was named ‘Winemaker of the Year’ in Germany and is considered one of the most outstanding producers of German Riesling. His son Cornelius, representing the fourth generation, currently works side by side with his father, jointly managing the winery.

Vineyards

Today, the winery cultivates around 25 hectares of vineyards located in the finest villages of the Middle Nahe region: Oberhausen, Niederhausen, Schlossböckelheim, Norheim, Roksheim and Bad Kreuznach. The winery owns around ten VDP Grosse Lage plots.

The most famous of these is Niederhauser Hermanshöhle, which has been considered the finest vineyard in the entire Nahe region for over a century. Other important plots include the unique ‘Oberhauser Brücke’, ‘Schlossböckelheimer Felsenberg’, ‘Norheimer Döllchen’, ‘Norheimer Kirschheck’ and ‘Kreuznacher Kalenberg’.

Terroir

From a geological perspective, the Mittelnahe is one of Germany’s most geologically diverse regions, lending each vineyard its own unique character. Hermannshohe is situated on steep southern slopes at an altitude of 130 to 175 metres above sea level; the soil consists of grey-black shale mixed with volcanic rock, porphyry and limestone. Felsenberg is situated on red volcanic rock, consisting of a mixture of porphyry and basalt. Delchen is of volcanic origin and contains shale and porphyry. Leistenberg in Oberhausen consists of friable black-grey shales.

The climate in the valley is relatively dry, but the vineyards are not irrigated; instead, the soil surface is covered with straw and compost to retain moisture and encourage the root system to grow deeper.

Grape varieties

Around 80% of the area is planted with Riesling, with the remainder divided between Pinot Blanc (Weißburgunder) and Pinot Gris (Grauburgunder). The Riesling vines were selected from old plantings in Niederhausen and Schlossböckelheim; the planting density is around 6,000 vines per hectare, and pruning is carried out close to the ground so that the vines can absorb heat from the stony soil.

Winemaking

The winemaking method is simple and consistent. The grapes are harvested by hand, with two or three harvests taking place in each vineyard; the timing of these is determined by the degree of ripeness rather than sugar content. The bunches are pressed within approximately three hours of harvesting, after which they are left to settle for 10–18 hours.

Fermentation takes place naturally, depending on the requirements of the specific wine, in traditional German oak barrels (with a capacity of 1,000 to 2,400 litres) or in stainless steel tanks. The design of the wine cellar allows any wine to be aged in any of the aforementioned vessels.

The oak barrels are crafted by local coopers from wood that has been seasoned for at least seven years, ensuring their influence on the wine is extremely neutral. New oak barrels are never used for Riesling.

Wines

The range covers the entire spectrum of German Riesling. The main wines are ‘Riesling Estate’ (semi-dry) and ‘Riesling Trocken’ (dry). In addition, the range includes wines from villages such as Oberhausen, Niederhausen, Norheim and Kreuznach, as well as dry wines from the ‘Grosses Gewächs’ series from the finest vineyards: Hermannshöhle, Felsenberg ‘Felsentürmchen’, Dellchen, Roxheim ‘Höllenpfad’ and others.

Wines in the ‘Kabinett’, ‘Spätlese’ and ‘Auslese’ categories, rich in fruity aromas, are also produced in these prime vineyards, the most famous of which include ‘Oberhäuser Brücke Spätlese’ and ‘Hermannshöhle Spätlese’.

The winery also produces very small batches of the legendary ice wine, some of which has even received the maximum score of 100 points. Annual production amounts to around 10,000 cases.