2004 Dönnhoff Norheimer Dellchen Riesling Spätlese

Donnhoff’s 2004 Norheimer Dellchen Riesling Spatlese A.P. #14 smells of overripe pear, banana, honey and suggestions of sheer botrytis. In the mouth, this distinctive lot offers much of the same richness allied to near weightlessness that characterizes its sibling, but there is an intensity of spice that tastes as though it had been borrowed from Schlossbockelheim. Coming from young vines in the “Halbmond,” a half-moon shaped heat-trapping pocket in the cliff whose overhanging mass of rock was at one time used by vineyard workers as a shelter from the elements, this small auction cuvee finishes with enveloping richness, enticingly exotic spice, and a generosity free of inhibition. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300