Maximin Grünhaus
Abtsberg Riesling Spätlese 2018
Germany
About the SessionThis is the largest list of German wines Strauss & Co has ever offered! Once regarded as the greatest wines in the world, German and specifically Mosel Riesling are long aging and investment worthy. Running deep through the Mosel, Saar and Ruwer and across celebrated vintages including the ripe 2009, the warm 2018 and the racy, acclaimed 2019.
‘Trocken’ is the dry Riesling style, while ‘Kabinett’ is off-dry and ‘Spatlese’ and ‘Auslese’ are much sweeter. Another pointer, Is that the higher the alcohol, the more likely the wine is to be drier in style.
LOT 22
Maximin Grünhaus
Abtsberg Riesling Spätlese 2018
ZAR 3 200
About this Item
Maximin Grünhaus, on the little Ruwer tributary, has a winegrowing history reaching back to Roman times and was monastery land for a thousand years. The von Schubert family's three monopole slopes – Abtsberg, Herrenberg and Bruderberg, named for the abbot, the lords and the brothers of the old abbey – give some of Germany's most refined, ageworthy Riesling. The Abtsberg, the abbot's slope, is the jewel of the three. 2018 was a warm, ripe German vintage. Stephan Reinhardt from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate gave it a rating of 95, Wine Spectator gave it 93, David Schildknecht from Vinous gave it 91, and Julia Harding MW gave it 16.5 out of 20.
Provenance
The late David Brice was a respected wine connoisseur, collector and co-founder of Brice and Burnett – The Fine Wine Specialists (formerly Wine Cellar). His lifelong passion for wine from all corners of the world wine, and generosity, helped develop a culture of fine wine in South Africa and beyond. Always with value and authenticity in mind, the collection spans a wide range of styles from leading producers and diverse regions. The wines were professionally imported under refrigeration and carefully stored at Brice and Burnett (formerly Wine Cellar) thereafter. Many of the producers are not available in South Africa and provide an excellent buying opportunity.
For more detailed information on the lots, please feel free to contact Roland Peens (roland@briceandburnett.co.za). Roland spent many years sharing and enjoying these wines with David Brice and is happy to provide further insight into the collection.
Critics Ratings
"The 2018 Maximin Grünhaus Abtsberg Riesling Spätlese opens intense yet pure and floral/herbal on the nose, with delicate yet intense dark flinty slate aromas. The palate is lush, round and highly stimulating with its delicate, crystalline and salty acidity, which lends remarkable finesse and length. This is delicious and fabulous in its weightless but nobly refined character and endlessly salty, playful but also long and mineral finish." - Stephan Reinhardt, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 95/100 (Aug 2019)
"Rich, concentrated and almost waxy, with a vanilla-tinged core of lime and yellow apple flavors. Turns savory and stony as this drives through the piquant aftertaste. Light-weight, but mineral-driven and intense overall, displaying complexity and length." - Wine Spectator, 93/100 (Apr 2020)
"An effusive nose features quince and white peach preserves laced with mint and bergamot. The palate surprised me with its relative sense of softness and hint of overripeness, though the aforementioned herbal accents serve for pleasingly cooling counterpoint. The dominantly sweet finish engenders a honeyed aura and is soothingly sustained, but fortunately offers a bit of alkaline and stony counterpoint. (As von Schubert mentioned, even some desiccated fruit found its way into Spätlese this vintage.)" - David Schildknecht, Vinous, 91/100 (Sep 2019)
"Notes of almonds and apricots – more obviously botrytised than the other sweet wines tasted today. Apricot and clementine on the palate. Sweet, silky and long." - Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com, 16.5/20 (May 2023)
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