Maximin Grünhaus dinner

Dinner at Kin's Kitchen with the wines of Maximin Grünhaus, organized by Fine Wine Experience.  Maximin von Schubert in attendance.

2016 Maximin Grünhauser Abtsberg Kabinett Auktion - a bit of honey, flint, polyurethane.  Actually a bit sweeter than I expected, but still has a good balance of acidity mid-palate.  Quite a long finish.

2015 Maximin Grünhauser Abtsberg Kabinett Auktion - more honey on the nose, more orange blossom, with flint.  Shorter on the finish.   A little later it was much bigger on the attack, some petrol, along with a bigger and slightly more punchy nose.  The last drops were pretty big and showy on the palate, but the finish was still short.

1986 Maximin Grünhauser Abtsberg Spätlese - huge, punchy nose, with polyurethane and some lemon.  Very clean, rounded but dry on the palate, almost like eating muscat grapes, with a hint of straw.  At the end there was still lemon, and a hint of savory notes.  Still got the polyurethane.

2017 Maximin Grünhauser Abtsberg Auslese Auktion - nose was so much more intense and a bit pungent, and really really ripe, with tropical notes like stone fruit, and a little flinty.  Pretty sweet on the palate for sure, big and powerful.  Didn't really smell like riesling...  This was the first harvest for vines planted by Maximin, with yields of 300L/ha and small berries.  300 bottles made.

2015 Maximin Grünhauser Abtsberg Spätlese Auktion - leaner on the nose, with petrol.  Later sweeter and floral.

2018 Maximin Grünhauser Abtsberg Auslese Fuder 89 - this was really young, very, very ripe on the nose, and lots of flint with tropical stone fruit like peaches.  Very sweet on the palate, like muesli with dried fruits.  So ripe, hot, and alcoholic that it seemed almost Alsatian.  Residual sugar around 125g/L.

2011 Maximin Grünhauser Herrenberg Auslese Fuder 15 - a lot of plastic and polyurethane, with some petrol... and almost smelled like insecticide spray... Sweet on the palate but not much on the finish.  Later on showed some honey and pollen.

2011 Maximin Grünhauser Abtsberg Auslese Fuder 87 - totally different from the Herrenberg.  Smelled like the smoke rising from the wick of a candle that had just been extinguished... or gun powder.  Much sweeter on the nose but also some bitterness.  Later showed polyurethane and the smokiness faded.  Some orange blossom water on the palate, and the finish was much longer.

2006 Maximin Grünhauser Abtsberg Auslese Fuder 45 - more pungent and stinky, with animal notes.  More acidity here, with a very long finish.  A little bitter on the palate, and love the acidity.  Showed much more character.  A great wine.

1993 Maximin Grünhauser Abtsberg Eiswein Fuder 190 - so rich, with lots of marmalade, definitely botrytis, honey, flinty, a little savory.  Rich on the palate, but surprisingly (to me) with piercing acidity through the unctuous, viscous wine.  Later showed caramelized notes like a crème brûlée and cane sugar.  Residual sugar about 50-60g/L.

1989 Maximin Grünhauser Abtsberg Trockenbeerenauslese, from half bottle - nose was a little muted, with some honey pollen.  Some depth on the palate, a little bitter.  Certainly richer and more viscous, with marmalade, a hint of dried apricots.  Definitely still acidity here and quite high, but not at the level of eiswein.  Probably above 200g/L of residual sugar.

Full post on dinner is here.