Weingut Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle 'R' Riesling 2018 750ml

Product Info

96pts Vinous Media
The 2018 Riesling Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle R spent three years on gross lees in one Stück. After this, it is bottled and now released with two further years of bottle age. Cornelius Dönnhoff says this is a homage to his grandfather and the wines of the 1950s and 1960s. This barrel was destined for GG but stopped its ferment and was allowed to stay that way. An immediate ethereal lift brings lemon oil and cool, dried mint, expansive and scented. The palate is slender, fluid with lemon, cool with mint and smooth with age. This goes down like balm. While this has around 11g/L of sweetness, it does not taste sweet at all. Wonderful. (Dry) Drinking Window: 2028 - 2060

Cornelius Dönnhoff recounts 2023 at the domaine: “Fruit set was good, and we could see early on that this might be a bigger harvest, and in summer, we started reducing yields relatively early. This, with canopy management, was key as the vines were vigorous. In July, the weather changed, temperatures went down, and we had continuous showers in July and August, and our well-ventilated canopies paid off. We also had interrow ground cover to help pull moisture out of the soil. We had pokered right. It ensured the grapes could dry off, and we could get on top of the immense disease pressure.” Later in August, the weather changed again, ringing in stable weather. “September was warm and had high sunshine hours, not a cloud from morning to night. This accelerated the ripening and compensated for the cool August. The thinned-out fruit and airy canopy meant healthy grapes and no botrytis.” Dönnhoff notes that in wetter years like 2023, his steep and rocky Riesling sites are at an advantage with their excellent drainage and poor soils, curbing vine vigor, resulting in a harvest of healthy fruit. Dönnhoff did not make BAs or TBAs but harvested small amounts of thrilling Kabinetts, Spätlesen and Auslesen, mostly from botrytis-free grapes. “In Riesling, you do not need alcohol as a transporter of flavor,” he notes. “The Pinots [Weissburgunder and Grauburgunder] were a different story,” he says. “We had to select aggressively because there was some rot.” Picking started on 17 September with the Pinot varieties, and they had to hurry because ripeness advanced quickly. Dönnhoff is happy that nothing “slid into overripeness”–apart from the Auslesen–and notes that the wines have good acid structure with moderate alcohol and that sufficient moisture meant great extracts. He also puts his wines’ strikingly golden color down to extract—yet another stunning collection. - By Anne Krebiehl MW on July 2024

Terroir
Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle is widely regarded as one of the crown jewels of the Nahe, a steep, south-facing hillside of volcanic porphyry mixed with slate and limestone. The vineyard sits above the Nahe River, where reflected light and warmth help the grapes achieve full aromatic depth, while constant airflow and cool nights preserve bright natural acidity.
The unique mineral composition of Hermannshöhle translates directly into the wine’s core expression: dark stone minerality, a smoky volcanic edge, and a powerful but finely layered structure.
The 2018 vintage was warm, but Dönnhoff’s precision farming and the site’s rocky, heat-regulating soils ensured wines with concentration balanced by tension. The result is a Riesling that is deep, structured, and ageworthy, but still extraordinarily pure in youth.

Winemaking & Technical Notes
The “R” bottling represents a special, longer-aged variant of Dönnhoff’s Grosses Gewächs from Hermannshöhle. It is drawn from the oldest, most expressive parcels of the vineyard.
Fermentation takes place in a mix of large, neutral German oak Fuder and stainless steel, allowing the wine to develop fine texture and slow integration without any noticeable oak flavor.
The wine rests extended on the lees, gaining depth, length, and an almost satin-like mouthfeel.
This bottling is dry (trocken), though the richness and extract of the vineyard can feel almost spherical on the palate. Alcohol generally sits at 12.5%, maintaining precision and lift.

Tasting Notes
The nose is deep and layered, opening with white peach, pear skin, lime oil, and golden apple, followed by more complex tones of flint, smoky slate, dried herbs, and crushed wildflowers. On the palate, the wine is powerful yet composed, with a sense of compressed energy that slowly expands as it moves across the tongue. Flavors of ripe stone fruit and citrus are guided by a volcanic mineral line that feels both tactile and cooling.
The texture is silky but firm, with vivid acidity threading through the richness, giving length and clarity. The finish is very long, echoing salted peach, chalk dust, and subtle spice, leaving the impression of a wine built not just for pleasure, but for deep evolution.

This is a wine to think about, return to, and watch unfold over time.

Food Pairing & Service
Serve at 48–52 °F (9–11 °C) in a medium-sized white wine or Riesling glass.
Decanting is recommended, especially in its youth, for at least 45 minutes to allow the aromatics to expand and the mineral core to unfurl.

Pair with dishes that highlight purity, salinity, and subtle richness:

• Arctic char or trout with lemon and herbs
• Sole or halibut in brown butter and capers
• Chicken roasted with preserved lemon
• Sashimi, especially fluke, kampachi, or tai
• Soft, subtle cheeses like Chabichou or Robiola

For a regional touch: Schweinbraten (roast pork) with fennel and apple is ideal.