2018 Maximin Grünhäuser Riesling MASH Q.b.A. trocken Maximin Grünhaus, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer (0,75l)

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - 2018 Maximin Grünhäuser Riesling MASH Q.b.A. trocken, Maximin Grünhaus

Since the vintage was very generous and Maximin von Schubert loves experiments more than mental borders, Grünhaus has produced its first "orange" wine ever. "The 2018 Maximin Grünhaus Riesling Mash might not be very typical for Grünhaus, but the vintage invited us to try something new," von Schubert explained in a hand-written letter. Vinified on the mash in two barriques for 18 months, the golden-colored wine opens with an intensely fruity, elegant, refined and nicely matured bouquet that reveals more oxidative notes than a Grünhaus normally does and pairs this with flinty terroir and subtle oaky notes. In fact, this is the nose of a pretty traditional rather than avant-garde wine. Round and elegant on the palate, this is a full-bodied yet fine and even pure Riesling with a crystalline structure and ripe, very intense and aromatic, bone-dry and firmly structured fruit. I find this style very impressive and characterful, in fact, and I would not echo that this is not a typical Grünhaus just because it is different. It is perhaps Grünhaus's most creative and original wine, and it has all the finesse and elegance you can expect from a great Grünhaus. Just pair it with the right dish—Indian dishes perhaps or any other spicy stuff. Tasted as a sample that was ready to be bottled. I have no idea how long this wine can age, but in terms of structure, extract and vitality, it should have at least a decade to ripen. The fruit might fade and become even more oxidized soon, but I doubt it will completely fade away. - Stephan Reinhardt, Aug. 2020