Maximin Grunhaus Schloss Riesling 2021
-
James
Suckling -
Wine
Enthusiast
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
This new label replaces the former “Monopol” Riesling and is produced with fruit harvested from the estate’s wholly owned Abtsberg, Herrenberg and Bruderberg vineyards. As with the Monopol, the wine perfectly captures the exotic fruit and delicate precision that are classic characteristics of the Grünhaus estate. It is made in the German trocken (dry ) style, which balances a small amount of residual sweetness (less than nine grams per liter) with vibrant acidity. This carries the official VDP classification of “Gutswein” (estate wine).
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Brimming with fresh herbs and wild berries in the nose, this also reminds me of the smell of a forest after rain. Cool and sleek palate, but well structured and with a juiciness that easily balances the crisp acidity. Long wet stone and yellow apple finish.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Vibrant acidity underscores notes of singed orange peel, gooseberry and ginger in this dry Riesling. It shows great integration of its almost austere backbone with the fruit that balances the overall impression.
Other Vintages
2022-
James
Suckling
-
James
Suckling
Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
Following the Mosel River as it slithers and weaves dramatically through the Eifel Mountains in Germany’s far west, the Mosel wine region is considered by many as the source of the world’s finest and longest-lived Rieslings.
Mosel’s unique and unsurpassed combination of geography, geology and climate all combine together to make this true. Many of the Mosel’s best vineyard sites are on the steep south or southwest facing slopes, where vines receive up to ten times more sunlight, a very desirable condition in this cold climate region. Given how many twists and turns the Mosel River makes, it is not had to find a vineyard with this exposure. In fact, the Mosel’s breathtakingly steep slopes of rocky, slate-based soils straddle the riverbanks along its entire length. These rocky slate soils, as well as the river, retain and reflect heat back to the vineyards, a phenomenon that aids in the complete ripening of its grapes.
Riesling is by far the most important and prestigious grape of the Mosel, grown on approximately 60% of the region’s vineyard land—typically on the desirable sites that provide the best combination of sunlight, soil type and altitude. The best Mosel Rieslings—dry or sweet—express marked acidity, low alcohol, great purity and intensity with aromas and flavors of wet slate, citrus and stone fruit. With age, the wine’s color will become more golden and pleasing aromas of honey, dried apricot and sometimes petrol develop.
Other varieties planted in the Mosel include Müller-Thurgau, Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) and Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), all performing quite well here.