Holding hands with history
There are old wine estates, and very old ones, and then there is Maximin Grünhaus; the pure and filigree Grünhauser wines have over a thousand years of history behind them. The vineyards of this Mosel estate were gifted to the Benedictine Monastery of St Maximin in 966, and monks managed them until the late 18th century. Eventually, the estate made its way to the hands of the Von Schubert family. They adopted the Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) label that still adorns their bottles, and has become one of Germany's most emblematic wine labels. These days it is another Maximin who runs this estate, sixth generation Maximin Von Schubert. To work here, he says, is 'to hold hands with history'.
But it's not about the history. What draws people back vintage after vintage to these wines is the precise and focussed style, the delicate but very clear expression of Mosel Riesling, aromatic, mineral, and crackling with energy. The ripe but well-balanced 2020s are superb.
The estate sits on the River Ruwer, two kilometres upstream from the Mosel. It's just a little cooler here than on the Mosel itself - Max considers that a boon in an era when average temperatures are creeping up. The Benedictines had a clear hierarchy for the three monopole vineyards that are cultivated here to this day: Bruderberg was for lay brothers, Herrenberg was reserved for monks, and Abtsberg was only to be served at the abbot's table. Did they get it right? Max laughs. You might call it a question of style - but you can't discard the monks' eight hundred years of hard-won experience. Bruderberg is the coolest site, and makes racy wines with high natural acidity. Herrenberg lies on slate-rich soils upslope and is more intense; and on the optimum mid-slope lies Abtsberg. /NT
Offered subject to remaining unsold, available imminently
