Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Spätlese trocken 1995 – H. Dönnhoff – Alc. 11.5%
There has been discussion in another thread about the ageing potential of Riesling without residual sugar where, incidentally, it has been noted that some 1995s from Germany are not ageing as gracefully as one could wish. So I took out this last bottle of three last night to accompany some deliciously fresh “barbue” (my Harrap’s says = “brill”).
C: Limpid medium/deep yellow.
N: Without the “trocken” on the label, I would have thought that this was a conventional SL with RS and a very good one too showing a complex of white fruit and flowers, spice and burnished roundness. Later some of the nerve and tension noted on the palate came up.
P: Bone dry with medium body and crisp acidity balanced by “gras” with a lightly fragrant development of the aromas from the nose allied to mineral notes and a certain steely tension towards the long finish. Brightly elegant and well balanced with the brill, there appeared a very slight tartness on the last glass when the fish was finished. Classy and highly enjoyable like the previous bottles; 16.5/20.
So at the age of 13 this Dönnhoff is still performing very well, although the slight tartness without food could precursor decline. Against this, I don’t recall the first bottle being much different about three or four years ago.
I have had excellent dry Riesling older than this; Clos Ste. Hune and Cuvée Frédéric-Emile from Trimbach, of course, and a 1971 Kastelberg, I think, from Kreydenweiss in the late 90s.