Some 250 years ago, the Dönnhoff family arrived in the Nahe and established a farm where they tended livestock, vegetables, and grapes. Hermann Dönnhoff (grandfather of Helmut) officially launched the estate in the 1920s, and Helmut took the reins in 1966. At this time, they only had four hectares of vines—but after their extraneous farmland was sold off in 1971, Helmut began focusing on wine. With more than 45 vintages under his belt, Helmut, and now his son, Cornelius, have created something grand out of nothing. The Dönnhoff clan made a fortuitous decision when they chose the Nahe, this region encompasses the hills that surround that eponymous river, and its soils are very diverse. Thanks to these varied and distinct terroirs, it has some of Germany’s best Grosses Gewächs. 

This 2022 “Schloßböckelheimer” is a declassified GG (German Grand Cru) that is sourced entirely from“Felsenberg.” This is one of Germany's top sites for Riesling–a breathtaking slice of land with a small tower clinging to its steep precipice (as depicted on today’s front label). The site sits at 11 hectares with steep gradients and southern exposure, and each vine is buried in a series of volcanic soil. “Felsenberg” is an elite, and historic, GG vineyard. Grosses Gewächs wine must be from a designated Grosse Lage (Grand Cru) vineyard and fermented dry, although ripeness level, yield restriction, and manual harvest also play an important factor. The “Schloßböckelheimer” meets all the requirements except it is one degree of alcohol below GG level, hence the declassification.

Dönnhoff’s GG’s are all built for the cellar, and this declassified "Felsenberg" will certainly age gracefully for many years. But if you open it today just give it a good decant and it shows incredible layers despite its infancy: Kaffir lime, green mango, white peach, pineapple, Meyer lemon, and tangerine blast out of the glass like a cannon and release savory shrapnel in the form of crushed white rock, smoke, candied ginger, salted citrus, gunflint, dried herbs, acacia, grapefruit zest, and honeysuckle. It’s bold and assertive, unafraid to flaunt its searing minerality and gorgeous layers of ripe, nervy fruit. Served in your best all-purpose stems at a cool 50 degrees, this soaring, bone dry bottle of mineral magic can easily go toe to toe with Grand Cru white Burgundy, or any other of the world’s finest white wines.