On 15 Oct, 05:45, Mark Lipton > wrote:
> Salil wrote:
> > I recently had my first experience with one of Donnhoff's wines - a
> > 2000 Hermannshohle Auslese that showed few signs of being from a
> > relatively poor vintage (aside from slightly low acidity, compared to
> > most other German Rieslings I've had) and blew me away with each sip.
> > Since then I've kept my eye out for more, particularly his Spatlesen
> > which I've heard a lot about.
>
> > A local retailer has stock of a handful from 03 and 04 at quite
> > reasonable prices. Wines a
> > 2003 Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Spatlese
> > 2004 Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Spatlese
> > 2004 Schlossbockelheim Felsenberg Riesling Spatlese
> > 2004 Schlossbockelheim Kupfergrube Riesling Spatlese
>
> Salil,
> You can't go wrong with any of the '04s. '03 was such an atypical
> year that I'd not start with it. However, all those wines will need
> lots of time to come into their own. Can you lay them down for 5-10 years?
>
> Mark Lipton
> --
> alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.hostexcellence.com

On the contrary, I would pitch for the 2003. Here is what Helmut
Doennhof had to say about it (FT):
"At first we thought that 2003 was too dry and ripe for Riesling, but
after the first tasting of the wines we immediately saw the balance.
The acidity is very pure and pronounced. Normally we lose about a gram
of acidity during fermentation but not in 2003. This is definitely my
best vintage yet, better even than 1971, but it needed more work than
any other, especially in the vineyard, because it was complicated by
extremes. It was as though I were suddenly given a Ferrari but there
was no-one to tell me how to drive it. It was possible to make far
more mistakes in 2003 than usual"

And here is what his almost-next-door neighbour, Dr. Peter Crusius
said in a VDP (Verband deutscher Praedikatsweingueter) publication:
"Simply the best! Nur mit Jahrhundert-Jahrgängen wie 1959 und 1971
ergleichbar! "
(Transl: Simply the best! Only comparable to the centennial-class
years like 1959 and 1971)

I have some 2004 Oberhaeuser Bruecke Spaetlese from Doennhof; and of
course, it is very good in a classical Nahe way - nice balance and
lovely minerality. But 2003 is a Unikat (unless of course we have more
of these freak summers). I wish I had some bottles of that to lay...

Prost!