Dönnhoff profile and top wines
Helmut Dönnhoff with his son, Cornelius.
(Image credit: doennhoff.com)

The estate owns 25ha of vines, including plots in nine Grosse Lage vineyards – the highest quality classification as set out by the VDP – including the monopole of Oberhäuser Brücke.

Today, the estate is run by fourth-generation Cornelius Dönnhoff, but it was his great-grandfather Hermann Dönnhoff who began selling single-vineyard expressions of Riesling from their best sites in the 1920s, and the family’s winemaking history can be traced back to the latter part of the 18th century.

Dönnhoff, Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling, Grosses

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Nahe grower Dönnhoff would be in most people’s top 10 in German dry Riesling. The estate dates back to 1750. Helmut Dönnhoff has recently ceded...

2014

NaheGermany

DönnhoffGrosses Gewächs

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Dönnhoff, Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling, Grosses Gewächs, 2012

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The very essence of minerality, from steep grey slate slopes with volcanic elements. Underlying the youthful complex of wild flowers, tart citrus and orange blossom...

2012

NaheGermany

DönnhoffGrosses Gewächs

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Dönnhoff, Felsenberg Felsentürmchen Riesling, Grosses Gewächs, 2014

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Located on the northern bank of the Nahe river, the volcanic soils of Felsenberg are rich in minerals, and the steep south-facing slope reaches angles...

2014

NaheGermany

DönnhoffGrosses Gewächs

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Dönnhoff, Oberhausener Brücke Riesling, Grosses Gewächs, 2017

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Cornelius Dönnhoff continues on the exact path his father Hermann took: utterly clean and precise Riesling is their mission. From this tiny 1.1ha parcel of...

2017

NaheGermany

DönnhoffGrosses Gewächs

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Dönnhoff, Oberhäuser Brücke Spätlese Riesling, Nahe 2018

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The 1.1ha vineyard of Brücke is a monopole of the estate. The vines are planted in loess loam soils over a slate bedrock, and its...

2018

NaheGermany

Dönnhoff

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Dönnhoff, Roxheimer Höllenpfad Trocken Riesling, 2016

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A harmonious and delightful Riesling with a fruit salad of peach, apricot and lemony intensity. It is slightly sappy, with a good dose of minerality...

2016

NaheGermany

Dönnhoff

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Dönnhoff, Felsenberg Felsentürmchen Riesling, Grosses

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Attached to the village of Niederhausen in the region of Nahe, Felsenberg is a steep, south-facing vineyard on volcanic soils. The Riesling it produces here...

2016

NaheGermany

DönnhoffGrosses Gewächs

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Dönnhoff, Hermannshöhle Riesling, Grosses Gewächs, 2016

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Lovely lemon and tangerine freshness on the nose leads into a pristine, powerful and rich palate with masses of focussed pear and green apple fruit....

2016

NaheGermany

DönnhoffGrosses Gewächs

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Dönnhoff, Roxheimer Höllenpfad Trocken Riesling, Nahe 2018

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The steep red sandstone slopes of the Höllenpfad have produced a lovely wine here in spite of the drought-affected 2018 vintage. It has some grip...

2018

NaheGermany

Dönnhoff

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Dönnhoff, Oberhäuser Leistenberg Kabinett Riesling, Nahe 2018

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Grown on grey clay slate soils on a steep southeast-facing site, this has a fresh nose of green apple. In the mouth it has evident...

2018

NaheGermany

Dönnhoff

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Dönnhoff, Tonschiefer Riesling, Nahe, Germany, 2018

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This is one of the most widely distributed wines of the Dönnhoff estate in the Nahe, and it showcases their pristine, clear-cut but expressive style...

2018

NaheGermany

Dönnhoff

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James Button
Regional Editor - Italy

James Button is Decanter’s regional editor for Italy, responsible for all of Decanter's Italian content in print and online.

Like many others, he started his wine career at Majestic Wine, giving him a strong grounding in the subject before successfully completing the WSET Level 4 Diploma in 2010. From 2014 to 2016 he managed the fine wine department of a startup wine company in London, before joining Decanter as digital sub-editor.

Outside of wine, James enjoys cooking, skiing, playing guitar and cycling.