Weingut Gunderloch and Dönnhoff are two exciting estates in the Rheinhessen and Nahe that both have long winemaking histories and impeccable reputations for producing rieslings with real soul and purity.
Both estates are similar in size (around 25 hectares) and are now in the careful hands of the new, younger generation, Johannes Hasselbach and Cornelius Dönnhoff. Plenty of experimentation and innovation is taking place, while always trying to remain faithful to tradition and maintaining the high attention to detail and quality that one comes to expect from these leading estates. Rather excitingly, Johannes has introduced solar-powered drones to spray biodynamic preparations on the vines which helps avoid soil compaction, and the Gunderloch estate has become certified organic.
Order by midday on Friday 16th May
I have selected a mix of quality levels and styles from both estates that I found to be exceptional: wines that showed a real sense of place, as well as being a delight to drink. The Gunderloch wines are all from the 2023 vintage, which in the Rheinhessen was seen as an excellent one; but with both drought and rain extremes, smaller producers who could be in the vineyard reacted better and the wines were better because of this. I found the wines to show a balance between tension and fruitiness.
We are offering the Dönnhoff 2024s that are heartbreakingly low in volume due to an unseasonably warm spring followed by extreme frosts which devastated many German growers. In some vineyard sites, Dönnhoff lost 80% of their crop. The wines remain excellent thanks to sheer grit and determination of their team to manage the small yield they had remaining.
For those who aren't familiar with these estates, I recommend buying a bottle of two to explore just how good German riesling can be.
