2022 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshohle Riesling Spätlese

AP number 15 23. Big and sweet and voluminous. This will probably blossom into something stunning but at the moment the Kabinett looks more convincing. (JR)

This starts very quietly and gently with a wafting cloud of floral aromas, but then your gaze is pulled into the base of this Gothic cathedral window, pulling you ever further upward until you are staring at the heavens. Supernatural energy and vitality, the wet stone character cascading over your palate at the super-long finish. Doesn’t want to stop! From organically grown grapes with Fair'n Green certification. Drink or hold.

From shale, the 2022 Riesling Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Spätlese is subtle on the nose. The merest flicker of reduction precedes distant perfumes of ripe pear, stone fruit and lifted, serene citrus peel in the green-to-yellow spectrum. The palate holds rounded sweetness, seemingly edged by tealeaf, stoniness and lime peel. The citrus takes over, providing serene and profound aromatics, lasting, elegant and pure. Despite the sugar, sweetness almost stops registering in these alluring flavors that push freshness much more than sweetness. The 2022 is a sleeper, slow and profound, but with proper mileage. (Sweet)