Picked out in the course of harvesting the corresponding Spatlese and gold capsule Auslese, the Donnhoff 2009 Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese is nearly gelatinous as well as nearly weightless, its creamy essence of desiccated berries suggesting honey, salted caramel, singed cookie dough, candied citrus rinds, pit fruit distillates, and white truffle. "I could never have accomplished this from my own holdings," explains Donnhoff, but he was able to range over nearly one half of the entire Hermannshohle Einzellage thanks to his rental agreement with the new Gut Hermannsberg (formerly the Nahe Staatsdomaine, and profiled elsewhere in this report). "Even then," he continues, "-there are a mere 25 liters. Above 200 Oechsle, you're really just chasing records. But you have to know when enough is enough, and then have a sense for how to exercise the necessary restraint in the cellar, too." It's hard to imagine that any missteps were made here; indeed, it's hard to imagine much greater sheer palate persistence or utter vinous self-sufficiency. And yet, this will almost certainly acquire an extra measure of complexity as it evolves over the next 40 or more years. When and how it will be released, Donnhoff is in no hurry to fret about. The 2007 has finally become wine and gone to bottle. Meanwhile, the 1989 has never officially been released, and a few bottles may soon finally be offered for sale stateside. These are truly the stuff of dreams. "In a great vintage with good weather this prolonged," remarks Helmut Donnhoff of 2009, only half in humor, "the only time limit to harvest is that set by the wild boar." And most of the excitement here this year - including the remarkable range of Spatlesen and the botrytis selections - was generated from a single week's picking in early November. "It's a year of the naked wine," adds Donnhoff, pointing to what he perceives as the stark portrayal of vineyard typicity that runs through his entire 2009 collection. His recent arrangement with the new Gut Hermannsberg (whose origins and inaugural vintage are canvassed elsewhere in this report) has taken Schlossbockelheimer Kupfergrube out of Helmut Donnhoff's line-up, while he has roughly doubled the surface area in the Hermannshohle under his control (to nearly 10 acres, or roughly half the Einzellage). The suggested retail prices I received from Donnhoff's importer represented significant price reductions vis-a-vis the last two years - and prices on the estate's private customer list have remained virtually unchanged for several years - adding yet another reason to seek them out. "I want to offer my customers good value," remarks Donnhoff with, in my view, considerable understatement, "and I'm proud of the fact that nobody in the trade who has bought from me has lost money reselling my wine." Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300