The Nahe is a tributary of the Rhine that empties opposite the mountainous terrain of the Rheingau. The district has a slightly cooler climate thanks to the winds that run along the valleys. So if you like slow-grown riesling, you’ve come to the right place. The highest ranked vineyard since 120 years is Hermannshöhle in Niederhausen where Weingut Dönnhoff makes its top wine.
Producers in this episode:
- Weingut Dönnhoff, Oberhausen an der Nahe
- Weingut Emrich Schönleber, Monzingen
This is part of a series on German wines, and above all a selection of quality German producers in five wine regions in Germany. This is the result of BKWine’s reporter Göran van den Brink’s big German tour in the summer of 2024, in six parts:
The wines from Nahe are usually very elegant, mineral and with high acidity. Wines that sometimes require a little longer ageing to show their best. A riesling GG (Grosses Gewächs) Felseneck from Schäfer-Fröhlich is best hidden deep in the cellar for ten years before popping the cork. But it’s worth the wait.
Even in Nahe, in 2023 one should choose a producer with care, it was also a challenging year there. But overall, of the ones BKWine Magazine tried, Nahe has succeeded best of all, perhaps thanks to the slightly cooler climate and winds.
We tried Gut Hermannsberg, Dönnoff and Emrich Schönleber, not a bad glass anywhere. At the first mentioned winery we did not have a full tasting so it is not reported below. They have a Guest House where you have a fantastic view and can look down on Dönnhoff. In terms of quality, there is probably no one who can do that!
Weingut Dönnhoff, Oberhausen an der Nahe
When the son Cornelius took over the responsibility from his father, the legendary Helmut Dönnhoff, one of the world’s most respected white winemakers, in 2007, many were a little worried. A concern that would prove to be completely unfounded. Cornelius and his wife Anne still make absolutely world-class wines.
If Leitz makes wines “for drinking and not for thinking”, then Dönnhoff riesling Hermannshöhle GG is a wine you can swirl in the glass and reflect on for an entire evening, a monument of finesse. Although that is maybe not entirely true, in reality a bottle disappears faster than you can say Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle riesling Grosses Gewächs.
About 2023, Cornelis says: “The year 2023 was full of challenges, which we fortunately managed to master. Stable weather during the harvest and a great team did a good job and therefore managed to deliver a fantastic vintage. The wines present a zesty fruit and an inner tension that forms an unmistakable contrast to previous years. We are absolutely impressed by this crystal-clear and wonderfully harmonious vintage.”
Since the wine has slightly lower acidity than usual, they have chosen to ferment the top wine to only 2 grams of residual sugar, the lowest ever for this wine. The entire collection from Gutswein to GG was, together with Emrich Schönleber, the best we tried this year. Right now, 2022 Hermannshöhle GG is available at Systembolaget in a few stores. If 2023 was a challenge, it was nothing compared to 2024. Almost the entire crop has been wasted due to late and severe frosts. If they are lucky, they can get 10–20% of a normal harvest. So fill the cellar with 2023!
Weingut Emrich Schönleber, Monzingen
If you google the word humble, a picture of Frank Schönleber comes up. He is not a man of big words but lets his wines speak for themselves. The wines are like Frank himself, not intrusive or bombastic but elegant and reflecting their origins from the upper Nahe.
The top locations Frühlingsplätzchen, Halenberg and Auf der Ley are every year among the best made in Germany, so this year too. We almost have to pull it out of him, but he is very satisfied with the vintage: “2023 was a balanced year with good conditions, reminiscent of 2019 for us. But more work was required, you have to know what you are doing. The quality could not be better, the wines are already good now but also have a long life”. We can certainly attest to that it was already good now, but these wines get even better with a few years in the cellar. Between 5–10 years, they become even more elegant and salty mineral driven with a light touch of grapefruit and herbs. Puristic, if you have to sum it up in a single word. I don’t think anyone manages to wait longer than 10 years.
If you don’t have the opportunity to cellar your wines, you can get a preview via the “second wines” Frühtau and Halgans, for €21 and €22, it’s nothing else than a super bargain! They are classified as Monzinger Ortswein but come from the aforementioned Grand Cru locations.
Read the next episode in the series here: Baden.
Read the previous section here: Rheingau.
