Donnhoff Hollenpfad im Muhlenberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs 2023

97-98+Lobenberg

$76.99 6+
$81.99

Hollenpfad im Muhlenberg is a fairly new site for Dnnhoff, one which Helmut Dnnhoff thought had the potential for a GG – he was right. This is an impressive GG with massive structure and density and most impressively terrific intensity.

Our Note: Powerful, coiled, and intense with minerality and acidity, the fruit is mostly spicy citrus and some white orchard fruit. These are yet to be bottled and this was a sample, so assessing these was fun, but the wines were tightly layered and took some coaxing in the glass to reveal its charms.

97-98+ pts Lobenberg (translated using Google Translate)
This monopole site (single owner), which is registered as Groe Lage, has a total of four hectares, but this GG only comes from one hectare of the oldest vines. The location is basically made of red sandstone, but there is also this section from which this GG comes, where a lot of pure rock plays a role.

Helmut Dnnhoff hinted a long, long time ago that there could be a potential Groes Gewchs here in the Hllenpfad and now it has been around for a few years. The Hllenpfad is located in Roxheim, in a cool side valley behind Bad-Kreuznach. It is totally different from the location on the Nahe, especially because of this sandstone, as Frst has, as Rebholz has in the Southern Palatinate and also the Rhine front on the Red Slope.

The nose is a tad quieter than on the Hllenpfad 1G, which is excellent this year, but here in the GG we have a little more inner tension and at the same time a greater grandeur in the sense of tranquility. The citrus scent is warm and stony, with quince and lemongrass, white tea and white currant. Then the astonishing thing: The wine is nowhere near as dramatically mineral as the Hllenpfad site suggests, but it has size and grandeur, just the higher maturity than the first vineyard around it. They are also the oldest vines.

The sandstone mountain produces very small, thick-skinned berries. It becomes a little wilder, more tart in expression, does not quite have the elegance of the slate, but more intensity and more piquant fruit of grapefruit, orange peel, tangerine.

This is already more mature, denser and creamier than the Hllenpfad 1st position, but almost has more drama and play. Wow, what a terrific intensity. There is real music in the glass, everything plays, vibrates and bites into the eternal night with a catchy, salty-expressive way. It’s a kind of elegance like 2012 had, only with a plus in maturity, it was already warmer, but that’s not the main focus. This is already a miracle of harmony, because the texture is velvety engaging and dramatically mineral, roughened and exciting at the same time. 97-98+/100