Rove dorée; Splendide nez, en fraîcheur, sur des notes de fruits à chaires jaunes comme l'ananas & la mangue en entre autre. Il y a aussi des notes de poires blanches & des épices vertes qui apportent une belle profondeur & complexité au bouquet. Tout semble bien intégré & fondu. La bouche est d'abord grasse, quasi huileuse en attaque, sur des notes de fruits à chaires jaunes, de miel & de gingembre. L'ensemble se tends en milieu de bouche, il y a cette impression que tous les arômes perçus ont été frotté sur des galets de rivières mouillées... Bref, le contraste entre le début & la fin de bouche est spectaculaire, équilibre exemplaire. Excellent!
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This was a very, very good showing for this wine. The balance between sweetness and acidity, youthful fruit and evolving flavors seemed pretty perfect. And that from someone that tends to feel the Donnhoff spatlesen tend to be delicious young, but no better with age. This bottle didn't uphold that view.
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Highly drinkable and easy. Effusively juicy and exotic spiced yellow peach fill the glass in this nicely balanced Spätlese. The sweetness was very much in check, which certainly helped the ripe fruit from being anything but pure and delicious. The level of purity and precision in the winemaking at Donnhoff shines through yet again. You can feel the expert hand of their craft.
Brought to a restaurant, shared with friends over a lovely meal. Lots of tropical fruits with nice balance and acidity. Not overly sweet but enough to cut through the spicy food. Spouse doesn't like the petrol on some Rieslings fortunately not to be found here. Recommended!
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Light medium gold color. Drank 2 glasses over an hour. Ripe and juicy with succulent bright fruit, tropical, peach, pineapple, apple, full bodied with a plush texture, good acidity and balance. This is what I want in a spatlese - crisp, lively and not overly sweet.
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drinking reasonably well, nice acidic cut, and while sweet it drank like a balanced spatlese rather than an Auslese. I didn't notice any significant petrol in this bottle. (and I tend to enjoy a bit of it)
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Bouquet à la fois riche & aérien, sur des notes de fruits exotiques (mangue, ananas). Aspect floral bien présent, impression de roche mouillée & légère trame épicés en arrière plan. On sent que les arômes commencent à se "fondre", ensemble harmonieux. Bouche moelleuse en attaque, sur le fruité exotique du nez, prends de l'expansion & ampleur rapidement. Équilibre exemplaire, le moelleux est bien supportée, aucune impression de lourdeur, très long. Finale sur des notes de fruits confits. Impression minérale présente. Très digeste. Excellent!
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I find petrol in riesling to be a bit more offputting and I'm afraid that I'm a lot more sensitive to it than I used to be (may be why Vouvray is increasing in my interest level). This is just starting to head that direction. There's still some more of the sweetness and a bit more floral style but it's a wine that I suspect needs to be drunk earlier rather than later if you don't want to feel like you're drinking diesel. It was well enjoyed by our family members who like the sweeter riesling style.
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Very classic and appealing on the nose: green apple, carambola, grapefruit, yeast and a slight whipper cream note. From the entry to the finish this is surprisingly gentle and mild-mannered on the palate. Sweetish for sure yet sporting a fine balance, for young Spätlese this drinks very easily without lacking any acidity. Not the most complex wine and not nearly as laser-like as some at least at this point yet it is undeniably delicious with great length. Very attractive apple-driven fruit, more minerally towards the finish. Some might consider this to be in a bit of an awkward phase but I get plenty of enjoyment out of it, be it with take away Vietnamese, Spanish blue cheese or on its own. Can’t go wrong with Dönnhoff.
If you like your off-dry on the slightly sweeter side, this is a really nice Riesling. It is sweeter than I expected but not overly so. Great QPR. No rush to open this wine.
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A.P. Nr. 7753010 11 13. 8.5% abv. Light gold hue and spritzig when first poured. Pear notes seem prominent amid a fruit cocktail bouquet of scents and flavors. The wine displays some sweetness and a slight taint of petrol. I had this with a veal scaloppini piccata (minus the capers) and also as a sipper/aperitif before dinner. I found the wine especially irresistible on the fourth evening after I opened it.
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Popped and poured. Very similar impression to my note more than two years ago. This wine is just a touch too much in terms of sweetness. Fortunately there is some acid to provide balance but it's not in the right proportion so the wine comes off as cloying. Fruit is in the stone and tropical zone with very pleasant and fragrant aromatics.
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Opened, poured out a taste, and then enjoyed about 1 hour later. Served chilled and allowed to warm up over time. This was served with food (Thai chicken satay and chicken Pad Kra Pow - in case you were wondering). Nose shows some apricots and honeysuckle. Flavor profile is sweet but with a note of stone/minerals. There is a touch of ripe pear and the mouthfeel is full - likely from residual sugar and not alcohol as it it listed at 8.5% abv. Enjoyable as a light, sweet drink.
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Delicious, fresh but concentrated Peaches and cherries and lime. Really nice acidity to match the sweetness. Maybe could use slightly more acid but it's still great and clearly has enough to age well. Long finish.
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Early Christmas dinner of turkey and the trimmings calls for a Riesling, and since some dishes have a bit of sweetness a Spätlese fits the bill. This 2012 Kirschheck has not yet gone into its shell, and is in fact quite effusive, with lime, peach, cherry and pineapple fruit aromas all vying for attention. It's a veritable "Nahe fruit salad" as Michael Broadbent has said in many past notes on wines from the region. The cherry and peach dominate on the palate, with bright, lime infused acidity cleaning up on the finish. Certainly this is a sweet wine, but the sweetness is not dominant, not does it overpower the food. Ultimately a lovely pairing that is festive and refreshing.
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Lovely array of white tropical fruits, stones, some white florals, hints of honey, mouth watering acidity on the attack with generous fruit on the mid palate with a medium plus length finish paired perfectly with tandoori lamb
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Nose of white peach, honeysuckle, and lime zest. Flavors of peach and minerals lead to a light, creamy finish. Readily apparent sugar is met with welcome acid, but could use more. Drink now through 2025.
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Robe jaune dorée pâle. Nez frais, sur des notes de fruits exotiques comme la mangue & l'ananas. L'ensemble est harmonieux. Petit qqchose de gomme à savon. Légèrement florale. Bouche dès plus agréable, dense, sur les fruits exotiques. Équilibre exemplaire entre l'acidité & le niveua de sucre. Aucune lourdeur malgré la sensation "sucré/mielée". Longeur excellente, finale sur la roche mouillée. Très digeste. Excellent!
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Back in the Willamette; 2/15/2015-2/20/2015 (Willamette Valley): This was a good, but not great Donnhoff. Acidity was a bit less than I normally see and sweetness factor was turned up (could also be because we were tasting next to the '98 Veuve LGD Rose which was very dry). Still, very easy sipping wine and enjoyable.
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Really liked this, notes of white peach, crushed rocks, orange peel, palate has a nice depth to it with a similar flavour profile with medium plus acidity and a nice fruit filled finish
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Sweeter than I remember it, but boy this has crazy concentration and good balance. I think I liked it better 6 months ago - probably a good idea to put it away for 10 years.
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Just: wow. Checks off all Riesling boxes: Razor sharp acidity? Check. Ripe stone fruit? Check. Long, wet stone finish and fine-grained minerality? Check. Gotta buy more of this...
Pale yellow with hints of green. Some small bubbles indicates some sprtizzziness.
A bit timid on the nose but I get those classic aromas of pear, honey and lime. There's also some subtle notes of wet slate. Nuanced and rather elegant nose.
Rich and intense on the palate. Bursting with pear, lime, melon and honey. Well balanced sweetness that gives the wine a honey coated structure. On the middle this razor-sharp acidity comes through and makes the saliva stream out of the inside of your cheeks. The finish is long and intensive with lovely aromas of wet slate and fresh squeezed lime juice.
Damn good today and has a long and lovely future.
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Really vibrant, juicy spatlese, with hints of pollen/honey notes but not lots of obvious botrytis. Peach/pear notes, flowers, crisp citrus-y acids and real drive on the palate. This is beautiful to drink right now.
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Good to have this soon after having the 2011 version. Notes are from the third night (I open my young Rieslings 24 hours in advance). Just like the 2011, the typical white cherries that I find in the vineyard are here, but the 2012 has also a vibrant tangerine note and comes across as less sweet and more texturized relative to its 2011 counterpart. Super tasty - I don't think my bottles will last long.
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A very natural spatlese vineyard according to Helmut Donnhoff. The 2012 version is very good, with the strength of the vintage making this bottling on par with other Donnhoff spatleses despite it having perhaps a bit less reputation than some of the other spatlese vineyards.
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2/6/2024 - Tallhoyalawya Likes this wine: 92 Points
Sweet tropical fruits with delicate bouquet of a lot of orchard fruits. Elegant finish. Drinking well and best served not too cold.
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9/25/2022 - sidaga Likes this wine: 93 Points
Rove dorée;
Splendide nez, en fraîcheur, sur des notes de fruits à chaires jaunes comme l'ananas & la mangue en entre autre. Il y a aussi des notes de poires blanches & des épices vertes qui apportent une belle profondeur & complexité au bouquet. Tout semble bien intégré & fondu.
La bouche est d'abord grasse, quasi huileuse en attaque, sur des notes de fruits à chaires jaunes, de miel & de gingembre. L'ensemble se tends en milieu de bouche, il y a cette impression que tous les arômes perçus ont été frotté sur des galets de rivières mouillées... Bref, le contraste entre le début & la fin de bouche est spectaculaire, équilibre exemplaire. Excellent!
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9/11/2022 - thalver wrote:
This was a very, very good showing for this wine. The balance between sweetness and acidity, youthful fruit and evolving flavors seemed pretty perfect. And that from someone that tends to feel the Donnhoff spatlesen tend to be delicious young, but no better with age. This bottle didn't uphold that view.
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12/11/2020 - CADomer Likes this wine: 91 Points
Highly drinkable and easy. Effusively juicy and exotic spiced yellow peach fill the glass in this nicely balanced Spätlese. The sweetness was very much in check, which certainly helped the ripe fruit from being anything but pure and delicious.
The level of purity and precision in the winemaking at Donnhoff shines through yet again. You can feel the expert hand of their craft.
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12/7/2020 - ruth3 wrote:
tropical fruit, citrus, lime, sweet but balanced. full, . had with spicy chicken
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9/17/2020 - Bellissimo Likes this wine:
Brought to a restaurant, shared with friends over a lovely meal. Lots of tropical fruits with nice balance and acidity. Not overly sweet but enough to cut through the spicy food. Spouse doesn't like the petrol on some Rieslings fortunately not to be found here. Recommended!
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9/17/2020 - rocknroller wrote: 92 Points
Light medium gold color. Drank 2 glasses over an hour. Ripe and juicy with succulent bright fruit, tropical, peach, pineapple, apple, full bodied with a plush texture, good acidity and balance. This is what I want in a spatlese - crisp, lively and not overly sweet.
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4/19/2020 - thalver wrote:
drinking reasonably well, nice acidic cut, and while sweet it drank like a balanced spatlese rather than an Auslese. I didn't notice any significant petrol in this bottle. (and I tend to enjoy a bit of it)
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2/15/2020 - sidaga Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bouquet à la fois riche & aérien, sur des notes de fruits exotiques (mangue, ananas). Aspect floral bien présent, impression de roche mouillée & légère trame épicés en arrière plan. On sent que les arômes commencent à se "fondre", ensemble harmonieux.
Bouche moelleuse en attaque, sur le fruité exotique du nez, prends de l'expansion & ampleur rapidement. Équilibre exemplaire, le moelleux est bien supportée, aucune impression de lourdeur, très long. Finale sur des notes de fruits confits. Impression minérale présente. Très digeste. Excellent!
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12/31/2019 - MC2 Wines wrote:
I find petrol in riesling to be a bit more offputting and I'm afraid that I'm a lot more sensitive to it than I used to be (may be why Vouvray is increasing in my interest level). This is just starting to head that direction. There's still some more of the sweetness and a bit more floral style but it's a wine that I suspect needs to be drunk earlier rather than later if you don't want to feel like you're drinking diesel. It was well enjoyed by our family members who like the sweeter riesling style.
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9/15/2019 - kuumies wrote:
Very classic and appealing on the nose: green apple, carambola, grapefruit, yeast and a slight whipper cream note. From the entry to the finish this is surprisingly gentle and mild-mannered on the palate. Sweetish for sure yet sporting a fine balance, for young Spätlese this drinks very easily without lacking any acidity. Not the most complex wine and not nearly as laser-like as some at least at this point yet it is undeniably delicious with great length. Very attractive apple-driven fruit, more minerally towards the finish. Some might consider this to be in a bit of an awkward phase but I get plenty of enjoyment out of it, be it with take away Vietnamese, Spanish blue cheese or on its own. Can’t go wrong with Dönnhoff.
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7/30/2018 - Blacksmith450 wrote: 91 Points
Belle balance d'acidité et de sucre. Fruit croquant en milieu de bouche.
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2/21/2018 - fournet wrote: 92 Points
If you like your off-dry on the slightly sweeter side, this is a really nice Riesling. It is sweeter than I expected but not overly so. Great QPR. No rush to open this wine.
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10/21/2017 - wondersofwine Likes this wine: 93 Points
A.P. Nr. 7753010 11 13. 8.5% abv. Light gold hue and spritzig when first poured. Pear notes seem prominent amid a fruit cocktail bouquet of scents and flavors. The wine displays some sweetness and a slight taint of petrol. I had this with a veal scaloppini piccata (minus the capers) and also as a sipper/aperitif before dinner. I found the wine especially irresistible on the fourth evening after I opened it.
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8/30/2017 - ews3 wrote: flawed
Corked
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8/5/2017 - EhrlichDY wrote:
Popped and poured. Very similar impression to my note more than two years ago. This wine is just a touch too much in terms of sweetness. Fortunately there is some acid to provide balance but it's not in the right proportion so the wine comes off as cloying. Fruit is in the stone and tropical zone with very pleasant and fragrant aromatics.
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3/16/2017 - ews3 wrote: 91 Points
Tasty off dry notes of lime, slate, sea shore. Well balanced. Finishes a bit thin.
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1/30/2017 - drwine2001 wrote:
Opened last night. Light yellow. Incredibly aromatic and floral, almost Gewurztraminer intensity of the nose. Light, off dry, full of grapefruit pith.
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10/27/2016 - Tocororo wrote: 92 Points
Pear, honey, candy apple. Paired w broiled lobster and scallops. Delicious
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7/20/2016 - t_moderne wrote: 89 Points
Opened, poured out a taste, and then enjoyed about 1 hour later.
Served chilled and allowed to warm up over time. This was served with food (Thai chicken satay and chicken Pad Kra Pow - in case you were wondering).
Nose shows some apricots and honeysuckle. Flavor profile is sweet but with a note of stone/minerals. There is a touch of ripe pear and the mouthfeel is full - likely from residual sugar and not alcohol as it it listed at 8.5% abv. Enjoyable as a light, sweet drink.
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6/21/2016 - TRENZ wrote:
Small taste immediately upon opening. Chilled. Quite sweet with a distinctive white and green grape flavor.
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2/11/2016 - winepog wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful
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1/11/2016 - sp4388 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Delicious, fresh but concentrated Peaches and cherries and lime. Really nice acidity to match the sweetness. Maybe could use slightly more acid but it's still great and clearly has enough to age well. Long finish.
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12/25/2015 - Rieslingfan wrote:
Early Christmas dinner of turkey and the trimmings calls for a Riesling, and since some dishes have a bit of sweetness a Spätlese fits the bill. This 2012 Kirschheck has not yet gone into its shell, and is in fact quite effusive, with lime, peach, cherry and pineapple fruit aromas all vying for attention. It's a veritable "Nahe fruit salad" as Michael Broadbent has said in many past notes on wines from the region. The cherry and peach dominate on the palate, with bright, lime infused acidity cleaning up on the finish. Certainly this is a sweet wine, but the sweetness is not dominant, not does it overpower the food. Ultimately a lovely pairing that is festive and refreshing.
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8/30/2015 - eoinhharkins Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely array of white tropical fruits, stones, some white florals, hints of honey, mouth watering acidity on the attack with generous fruit on the mid palate with a medium plus length finish paired perfectly with tandoori lamb
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7/11/2015 - rlove wrote: 90 Points
Nose of white peach, honeysuckle, and lime zest. Flavors of peach and minerals lead to a light, creamy finish. Readily apparent sugar is met with welcome acid, but could use more. Drink now through 2025.
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7/3/2015 - sidaga Likes this wine: 90 Points
Robe jaune dorée pâle.
Nez frais, sur des notes de fruits exotiques comme la mangue & l'ananas. L'ensemble est harmonieux. Petit qqchose de gomme à savon. Légèrement florale.
Bouche dès plus agréable, dense, sur les fruits exotiques. Équilibre exemplaire entre l'acidité & le niveua de sucre. Aucune lourdeur malgré la sensation "sucré/mielée". Longeur excellente, finale sur la roche mouillée. Très digeste. Excellent!
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2/19/2015 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Back in the Willamette; 2/15/2015-2/20/2015 (Willamette Valley): This was a good, but not great Donnhoff. Acidity was a bit less than I normally see and sweetness factor was turned up (could also be because we were tasting next to the '98 Veuve LGD Rose which was very dry). Still, very easy sipping wine and enjoyable.
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2/4/2015 - EhrlichDY Likes this wine: 91 Points
This one was good but not great. A touch too sweet for me with just enough acidity to bounce it out.
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12/26/2014 - eoinhharkins Likes this wine: 93 Points
Really liked this, notes of white peach, crushed rocks, orange peel, palate has a nice depth to it with a similar flavour profile with medium plus acidity and a nice fruit filled finish
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10/21/2014 - aagrawal wrote: 90 Points
Wine & Spirits Top 100 Tasting (City Walk @ Metreon, San Francisco, CA): Richer nose, still fresh, minerally; palate has a but more sweetness and complexity than the kabinett, more aging potential. Medium to long finish. 90+
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7/14/2014 - pifcho Likes this wine: 92 Points
Sweeter than I remember it, but boy this has crazy concentration and good balance. I think I liked it better 6 months ago - probably a good idea to put it away for 10 years.
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7/1/2014 - chefdilletante wrote:
Just: wow. Checks off all Riesling boxes: Razor sharp acidity? Check. Ripe stone fruit? Check. Long, wet stone finish and fine-grained minerality? Check. Gotta buy more of this...
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4/15/2014 - karl.1480 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Pale yellow with hints of green. Some small bubbles indicates some sprtizzziness.
A bit timid on the nose but I get those classic aromas of pear, honey and lime. There's also some subtle notes of wet slate. Nuanced and rather elegant nose.
Rich and intense on the palate. Bursting with pear, lime, melon and honey. Well balanced sweetness that gives the wine a honey coated structure. On the middle this razor-sharp acidity comes through and makes the saliva stream out of the inside of your cheeks. The finish is long and intensive with lovely aromas of wet slate and fresh squeezed lime juice.
Damn good today and has a long and lovely future.
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4/3/2014 - tooch wrote: 91 Points
Pizza with Salil & Summer (Matt & Summer's - Chicago, IL): Some wet stone, lots of petrichor, and peach. Super young with a lot of peach and and saline notes on the palate. Tons of minerality throughout. Lots of potential.
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3/1/2014 - yofog wrote: 93 Points
Really vibrant, juicy spatlese, with hints of pollen/honey notes but not lots of obvious botrytis. Peach/pear notes, flowers, crisp citrus-y acids and real drive on the palate. This is beautiful to drink right now.
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1/16/2014 - pifcho Likes this wine: 94 Points
Good to have this soon after having the 2011 version. Notes are from the third night (I open my young Rieslings 24 hours in advance). Just like the 2011, the typical white cherries that I find in the vineyard are here, but the 2012 has also a vibrant tangerine note and comes across as less sweet and more texturized relative to its 2011 counterpart. Super tasty - I don't think my bottles will last long.
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12/22/2013 - mye wrote: 91 Points
Deliciously young spatlese. Honey melon up front, notes of petrol on nose, and finishes with a dash of acidity. Young. But yum.
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6/30/2013 - TJay Likes this wine:
VDP Jahrgangspräsentation 2013 (Rheingoldhalle Mainz): Tasted at VDP Jahrgangspräsentation 2013 and marked it as outstanding.
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6/24/2013 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 92 Points
Light yellow color; reticent, tart pear, mineral nose; tasty, delicate, tart pear, mineral palate; medium-plus finish
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5/23/2013 - amateurwino wrote:
A very natural spatlese vineyard according to Helmut Donnhoff. The 2012 version is very good, with the strength of the vintage making this bottling on par with other Donnhoff spatleses despite it having perhaps a bit less reputation than some of the other spatlese vineyards.
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