2014 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Nahe (5/17/2016)
I had lots of conflicted expectations going with this wine. There was the basic expectation of a Dönnhoff spätlese - grace, purity, precision, etc.. Then there were the 2014 vintage expectations - ripe and to some degree botrytis affected, not always my favorite things in a vintage. Well as usual the wine managed to live up to the former expectations and largely confound the latter. Ripe, yes - the fruit veers tropical, but it has that elegance and purity of focus that I would expect from Hermannshöhle, and any hint of spice is just a thread in the weave. As I have found with many recent Dönnhoff wines, it skewed a touch drier than the wines from 2003-2009, and as such it served as a more versatile table wine, even for our non-spicy cuisine. Ultimately delicious and easy to drink.