Alkaline and stony already in the nose, Donnhoff's 2009 Kreuznacher Kahlenberg Riesling trocken is further informed by tart yellow plum and lemon, with fresh basil and a peat-like smokiness adding to its sense of fascination in a sustained, interactive finish. Plan to follow this over the next 3-5 years. "I hope to inspire some talented young growers to adopt Bad Kreuznach vineyards" remarks Donnhoff, "after they smell what's cooking in my pan." While this particular cool, bright, intensely mineral rendition of Kahlenberg is practically the last Riesling in the world I would describe in terms of cooking, I certainly hope his wish will be fulfilled! Incidentally, Donnhoff insists that just as Riesling ripeness commences in the top Bad Kreuznach sites and moves upstream, so too, he believes that wines from his two Bad Kreuznach sites reveal their personalities sooner after bottling. "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