2016 Niederhauser Hermannshohle Auslese

This very concentrated Auslese demands a lot of patience if you want to expereince all its thousand nuances. Has the crstalline purity of a great Spätlese rather than the honey of a luscious Auslese, but is way too big to be the former. Made from organic grapes and Fair\'n Green certified.

“You had to search all across the surface of Hermannshöhle to find any significant amount of botrytis this year,” explained Dönnhoff, adding that this wine, no less than last year’s remarkable pair of TBAs, was only possible thanks to the much larger share of this site that the Dönnhoffs control since they swapped Kupfergrube for Hermannshöhle with Gut Hermannsberg. Ripe white peach, pear, fig and pineapple colorfully, almost riotously dominate the nose and the luscious, glycerol-slicked, dense yet delightfully buoyant palate. Piquant peach kernel and pear seed supply welcome counterpoint and green herbal notes provide counteracting coolness, while an influx of quince reminds me of this year’s two Spätlesen, though here it takes jellied form. The wine’s high residual sugar is completely tamed, so if “Auslese Goldkapsel” has you imagining something conspicuously sweet, think again. But the taming isn’t thanks to extreme acidity. “You have to be careful that nobly sweet Riesling remains taut [ straff ] but doesn’t become too harsh [ streng ],” observed Dönnhoff. “I mean, there are BAs and TBAs nowadays that need decades before they would even become pleasant to drink!” Not a problem here. The finish is sustained as energetically as it is richly. (375 ml.) “You had to search all across the surface of Hermannshöhle to find any significant amount of botrytis this year,” explained Dönnhoff, adding that this wine, no less than last year’s remarkable pair of TBAs, was only possible thanks to the much larger share of this site that the Dönnhoffs control since they swapped Kupfergrube for Hermannshöhle with Gut Hermannsberg. Ripe white peach, pear, fig and pineapple colorfully, almost riotously dominate the nose and the luscious, glycerol-slicked, dense yet delightfully buoyant palate. Piquant peach kernel and pear seed supply welcome counterpoint and green herbal notes provide counteracting coolness, while an influx of quince reminds me of this year’s two Spätlesen, though here it takes jellied form. The wine’s high residual sugar is completely tamed, so if “Auslese Goldkapsel” has you imagining something conspicuously sweet, think again. But the taming isn’t thanks to extreme acidity. “You have to be careful that nobly sweet Riesling remains taut [ straff ] but doesn’t become too harsh [ streng ],” observed Dönnhoff. “I mean, there are BAs and TBAs nowadays that need decades before they would even become pleasant to drink!” Not a problem here. The finish is sustained as energetically as it is richly.

Although botrytis made itself scarce in 2016, the Hermannshöhle Auslese still manages an incredible concentration of luscious, sweet aromas ranging from exotic fruit to fresh raisins and waxy honey. The palate of the Hermannshöhle teaches us that fruity, sweet opulence does not have to come in form of sticky syrup, but in the hands of an expert can be crafted to perform with almost weightless elegance, great purity and exhilarating vibrancy. (MS)