Location and classification
Hermannshöhle is a classified vineyard site in Niederhausen in the Nahe winegrowing region. The classified area comprises 8.81 hectares. VDP lists the site as VDP.GROSSE LAGE®, its highest vineyard classification.
Site and soils
The vineyards lie directly by a river bend of the Nahe and are oriented towards the south to south-west. The slopes range from around 130 to 175 metres above sea level and have a gradient of 40 to 70 per cent. The black-grey weathered slate soils contain volcanic extrusive rock, limestone and porphyry, as well as a high proportion of fine earth and rock; geologically, they are classified as clay slate with limestone components.
Grape variety and history
Hermannshöhle is planted entirely with Riesling. For Hermannshöhle Riesling Spätlese from H. Dönnhoff, vines with an age of up to 75 years are used. The VDP has ranked the site among the most highly rated sites on the Nahe for more than a century. Its name goes back to a small mining adit in the middle part of the slope.
Wines and maturation
Documented are a Riesling Spätlese, fine-fruited, and a Riesling Auslese, noble-sweet. For the Spätlese, Dönnhoff describes careful selective hand-harvesting of the best grapes, gentle pressing, and maturation in small stainless-steel vessels and neutral wooden casks; bottling takes place in the year following the harvest. The Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel is made from hand-selected grapes and matured in stainless steel.
