Weingut Donnhoff
Hollenpfad Im Muhlenberg Riesling GG
Nahe
2021

The producer

Weingut Dönnhoff, one of Germany's premier estates, rivals the top names of Burgundy and Bordeaux, thanks to the passion and expertise of owner Helmut Dönnhoff, a living legend. Starting with 4 hectares in 1971, he now oversees 20, attributing his success to "making wine for himself" rather than purely commercial reasons. His wines are renowned for their mouthwatering sensations and delicious minerality, making them some of the most sought-after in the world. Neal Martin (Vinous) once described Dönnhoff as Germany’s equivalent of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, emphasizing its prestigious standing among Riesling producers. Today's offer is essential for serious devotees of German wine and the world’s most aristocratic white varietal.

The wine

The 2021 Höllenpfad Im Mühlenberg GG comes from a two-hectare parcel with over 50-year-old vines and yields capped at 40 hl/ha, first produced as a Großes Gewächs in 2017. This vintage, part of Germany's return to classic form, features excellent, elegant acidity and sleek mineral character. The vineyard, known for its steep slope and distinctive red sandstone soil, is located in a side valley of the Nahe River. The name “Höllenpfad” (Path to Hell) likely refers to the challenging terrain and the intense labour required. The weathered sandstone gives the wine its unique character, with small grapes producing elegant wines with spicy mineral fruit and excellent aging potential.

We choose our wines based on a range of criteria (see how we choose our wines) of which critic scores is just one. Rather than simply highlight the best score to promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a 92/100 average critic score or better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add individual critic scores to our website in the future.