Dönnhoff Tonschiefer Riesling Trocken Dry Slate 2023

Dönnhoff Tonschiefer Riesling Trocken "Dry Slate", Nahe, Germany, 2023

Grape: 100% Riesling, 25-45 year old vines on grey slate soil, 45hl/ha yield, hand harvested, 3.4g/L residual sugar, unoaked

Producer Tasting Note:

Piquant scent of ripe citrus fruits confirms: grapefruit, lime and orange zest are there, then apricot and peach come along, all permeated by a fine mineral spice. It is very subtle and piquant, always elegant and wonderfully clear. On the palate, a stable, clearly focused acidity ensures spectacular pull, and the wine has an incredible amount of grip with its almost crystalline structure. Citrus fruits dominate again, but there is also a lot of slate, which is incredibly delicate and easy to drink.

Critics' Tasting Notes:

"Smoky with hints of white flowers. Ripe grapefruit, pear, kumquat. Edgy and elegant, with a zesty, full-bodied and finishing roundness." (Cask Sample) Drink 2024-2028

16.5/20 points, Paula Sidore, JancisRobinson.com, May 2024

"The 2023 Riesling Tonschiefer was picked mainly in the Oberhäuser Leistenberg (80%) and a neighboring site, both on Tonschiefer or shale, plus younger vines from the Klamm and the Hermannshöhle. It is made in stainless steel only. The nose is shy but shows a savory, herbal note of fern, tender lemons and a certain stoniness. The palate is beautifully restrained, crystal-clear, stony and pervaded by clear-cut lemon brightness, finishing bone dry with a touch of ripe lemon zest. Lovely and elegant. (Bone-dry)" Drink 2024-2034

90/100 points, Anne Krebiehl, VINOUS, October 2024

"Dönnhoff's 2023 Tonschiefer Riesling trocken is clear and vegetal on the intense, fresh and spicy nose. The charming fruit is only expressed on the palate, which is round, lush, fruity and elegant and has fine, elegant acidity, with a clear, fresh and savory finish. This is a serious, good Riesling from the Nahe that was bottled under screw cap with 12% stated alcohol." Drink 2024-2032

90/100 points, Stephan Reinhardt, WINE ADVOCATE, October 2024

"The vibrant aromas of white peaches and white blossoms are married to an intense slatey minerality in this sleek and precise dry Nahe riesling. Quite some structure, although it is barely medium-bodied. Wonderful stony intensity at the very long, bright finish. Drink or hold. Screw cap."

94/100 points, James Suckling, 2024

The vines for the "Tonschiefer" Riesling grow mostly in the upper area of the Oberhäuser Leistenberg, which is located in the immediate vicinity of the winery. The steep slopes there consist mainly of dark clay slate. The Riesling that grows on these slate sites has a fruit aroma rich in finesse and a fine-bred acidity. For this reason, the characterful dry Rieslings from these soils bear the name of this bedrock:Tonschiefer