2016 Maximin Grünhäuser Herrenberg Riesling Auslese 17 Versteigerung

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: From healthy and frozen grapes, the 2016 Maximin Grünhaus Abtsberg Riesling Auslese –No 17– (Versteigerung) has clear, concentrated, nicely piquant and spicy fruit with ginger flavors. On the palate, this is a gorgeously lush and delicate Abtsberg Auslese of great finesse and elegance. There are very fine raisin notes on nose and palate along with super fine acidity and a mineral baseline. This is incredibly fine and piquant. Unique style. Fabulous. 300 bottles and 90 magnums were auctioned in Trier in September 2017. Tasted March 2018. - Stephan Reinhardt, Apr. 2018

Mosel Fine Wines: The 2016er Herrenberg Auslese Nr. 17, the result of painstaking selections, yielded less than 300 liters from fruit harvested at 120° Oechsle. It offers a gorgeously elegant nose of pineapple, apricot blossom, cassis and fine spices as well as a whiff of volatile acidity. These are joined by riper and more exotic aromatics including mango and passion fruit after some airing. The wine is gorgeously vibrant yet unctuously creamy on the palate. A great kick of acidity comes through in the finish making this a stunningly elegant expression of Auslese lange GK. 2026-2046. - Aug. 2017

Vinous: “There was virtually no botrytis this year,” confirmed von Schubert, and while this roughly 300-liter auction lot of Auslese is an exception, its impressive concentration would not have been possible save for November 30’s hard frost. This declassified Eiswein was harvested high up near the forest and quite far back (i.e., west) in the Herrenberg. White currant and quince jellies are mingled with high-toned herbal extracts on the nose. A viscous, glycerol-rich palate benefits from productive tension between the honeyed and tangy aspects of quince and white currant. The mounting midpalate sense of sweetness, accompanied by suggestions of candied grapefruit peel, had me anticipating that things would turn downright syrupy, but instead the wine’s abundant acids kick in for an almost searing, slightly metallic finishing impression. Yet the fruit concentration is such that a sense of richness remains. This brash sibling to the estate’s 2016 Eiswein bottling will likely exhibit the up-and-down, joker’s-wild evolution typical of Riesling from frozen fruit, but those few fans lucky enough to score more than a couple of half-bottles should enjoy an exhilarating ride. - David Schildknecht, März 2018