The Protege of One of Germany's top 5 Winemakers. Max Getlinger Is Blowing Our List Away - Both of These Wines Are Head Turning

 Max Geitlinger - A Young Genius
 - A Ziereisen-Like Ability to Make Brilliant Wines from Anything
 - These Are to the Entire List - His Uber Rare Wines will Be Allocated to His Best Customers (Later)

2018 Max Geitlinger Wein Spätburgunder
 - As Nimble as a Chambolle
 - Nose is Beautiful.
 - Crushed Berries, Spices, Raspberry Cake
 - Mineral, Limestone and Sour Cherry
 - Jumps out of the Glass
 - Lipstick-like Intensity.
 - A Sense of Deepness
 - Savory and Meaty Element
 - Palate: Juicy and Transparent
 - Wonderful Freshness and Purity
 - Unreal Energy and Freshness
 - Balanced and Ultra Clean

2019 Max Geitlinger Wein Müller
 - One of the Greatest and Original Wine Values I've Ever Sold
 - Micro Production
 - Endless Complexity and Energy
 - I Gave This 9.3 on Delectable
 - Equals My Score for Very Good 1er Cru White Burgundies
 - But It's Only $25.99
 - Will Change Your View of Müller Thurgau
 - Nose: Finely Powdered Rocks
 - Excellent Refined and Classy Minerality
 - Palate: Stunning Freshness 
 - Elite Levels of Density and Complexity
 - Terrific Deliciousness
 - One of Those Change of Pace Wines That Is Better Than Almost Anything You Are Drinking Under $30 
 - But Is also Strikingly Different if You Are in a Chardonnay Rut 

 - The Last 96 Bottles on Earth

"These wines should be of serious interest to those looking for better-priced alternatives to red Burgundy." Jancis Robinson on Landwein

The Baden Landweinmarkt and Jancis Robinson

Jancis Robinson is one of the most respected wine critics. Hanspeter Ziereisen organized a tasting called the Baden Landweinmarkt to showcase the wineries in Baden that are deemed not being "typical" enough and are classified as "Landwein." Max Geitlinger, Sven Nieger and Wasenhaus are fomenting a revolution of top wines from top sites and Landwein now means a denomination of the highest quality at certain addresses in Baden. Jancis wrote the above quote after the tasting and has lauded the wines made by Max Geitlinger in particular.

Today's Winery

The raves started to come in slowly but the amazing thing about them was how consistent they were. Each week I got a new email, social media tag or phone call about how brilliant the wines, in particular the Pinots were. People were comparing Max's wines to very famous

names in Burgundy I could not believe.You would think as a protege of Hanspeter Ziereisen that his style would mirror that of his mentor, but that is not the case.  It's much more similar to that of Henrik Mobitz, the genius cancer researcher who has been on a methodical quest to produce the best "Burgundian" Pinot Noir in Germany and who is now retired. His wines are more the Platonic ideal of ethereal Burgundy.  They are, perhaps, even more focused and linear than those of Mobitz. I was blown away by these and I know all of you will be. 

The Wines

Up first is the 1er Cru as I like to call it. The 2018 Max Geitlinger Wein Spätburgunder for $34.99 a bottle on a 4-Pack. This is something no one has to think about. I wish I had this in Liaison like numbers but I don't but I do have it in better numbers than I did the 2017. But not enough to satisfy everyone. The wine is as nimble as a Chambolle but is such essential Red Riesling it's not even funny.  In 2018 it is by far the most fruit-driven version yet. Drinks like $60+ red Burgundy. It's from Feureheim, which is really in the middle of nowhere. I have been there and can attest to it. Nearby Max has his cellar and a bed and breakfast with a large restaurant he runs with his family. It's all limestone soils and the color is the first thing that captivates you. He sent the 2018 to me along with other samples to my home office in NYC.  The color is just glorious. It has that Pinot color where you swoon but it also is darker than any Pinot Max has made. You cannot see through it but you can seen how someone could try. Its got that color that is alluring. That color that makes Pinot magic. But it also extends  to the style, aromas and more. It's so so nimble and delicate yet it is also full of thoroughly ripe fruit that 18 is known for. 

The nose is beautiful. Crushed berries, spices, raspberry cake, mineral, limestone and sour cherry. Just dizzying. What a nose. So delicate and transparent. So ethereal as only the best "Red Riesling" style can be. Loads of spice and cherries that just waft from the glass. Bowls of them. So much mineral from the limestone soils. It's like a baby Chambolle. It's so intoxicating. It jumps out of the glass. It has that nose like a great Liaison but so different. With wave after wave after wave of beauty. Fruit, spice, so many cherries, and a firm limestone footprint. Once it airs man is it gorgeous. Massive fruit. Big, ripe, dark and red cherries. So intense. A lipstick-like intensity. Glorious spices. Gorgeous minerality and a sense of deepness. Tree bark, menthol and an inner earth character. The juxtaposition between ripe fruit and minerality is astonishing.  With air there is a savory and meaty element to the nose that adds complexity. 

The palate lives up to the nose. It's stunning. Palate is pitch perfect Red Riesling. So juicy and transparent with wonderful freshness and purity. But man is the fruit dark. Black sour cherry, black berry, black cherry fruit. Terrific inner mouth aromas. So complex and juicy with just unreal energy and freshness. Amazingly linear and just straight as an arrow. Terrific sweetness of fruit but just so perfectly judged. It's a mid-weight wine with juicy, sappy cherries. Red, black and blacker. After air it gets crazy. Palate is so ripe but allied with just classic and incredible freshness. Big, but ripe and silky tannins and lovely, dense cherry fruit. So balanced and ultra clean and pure. The decadence of this wine allied with the racy minerality is a highlight for me.  So juicy and textured. The minerals really wash one's palate on the finish. This has substantial structure which hints to me it needs 3-4 years. It's in no way not inaccessible now but will be much better in 3 years. 

The wine is a mid level explosion every sip and so so pure. It's insanely juicy. It has that energy and just engages you so much because of how great it is and how it crushes so much other Pinot that you've had or have sitting in the cellar. I really think that is part of the joy of drinking all this Spätburgunder. Everyone that buys it know how great it is. It's been 3-4 years (longer!) for the big Spätburgunder heads on the list. The palate is ethereal and juicy at the same time. Has a texture and laciness to it that is stunning and singular. It's at once stylish and charming but it's also a wine of terroir and place. It's so nimble and juicy. The finish is long, pure and pitter patters out so naturally. Full of vivid fruit spice and mineral. So nimble. It's Red/Black Riesling. 

The Hall of Lesser Known Whites

If you take a visit to the White Wine Hall of Fame, most of it is taken up by Chardonnay from Burgundy. There is a wing for Hermitage as well as one for St Peray (the St. Peray section is still not in the official guide). There's also a section for Riesling, although it's hotly debated whether even that should exist (hopefully not by many people on this list).  

And then, there is the "Other" Hall for lesser known whites. The hall for the oddball great
wines made by random geniuses that are making wines that are so good, they defy logic.  The Cotats and Vatan are in there. Haut Brion. Domaine de Trevallon and Chateau Simone.  Roches Neuves and Boudignon  Our own Gilles Berlioz is being photographed for his section. Hanspeter Ziereisen as well. You get the idea.  

And these "Other" wines can be every bit as good as top level white Burgundy.  I had an aged 2002 Pascal Cotat "La Grande Cote" one year that was my white wine of the year.

The other thing about these "Other Whites," is that they cost a ton less than the thousands that you can pay for top white Burgundy. Wine pricing is all about supply and demand.  And if very few people have heard of your wine, the demand (and the price) is quite low.

The Wine

A quick recap of Müller Thürgau as I came to know it. The first good Müller Thürgau I encountered was on a visit to Sebastien Fürst and it was his 2005 Müller Thürgau Pur Mineral. It was terrific and had elegance and finesse plus loads of intense Franken minerality. It transcended Müller Thürgau and was a wine I bought and sold for my many years in retail. It even ages 4-6 years. But most Müller Thürgau is planted all over Germany as it has crazy high yields and is easy to grow. It also usually is turned into plonk. Many times I've been driving through Germany with winemakers and asked what those vines are and they say dismissively that's overcropped high yielding Müller Thürgau. I would usually then mention the Fürst. Then fast forward to finding Enderle & Moll and their brilliant skin contact Müller Thürgaus. They make four and are brilliant and we sell a lot of them but they are in a different style than today's utterly brilliant Müller Thürgau from Max Geitlinger. 

The 2019 Max Geitlinger Müller can be had for $25.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. This wine was a revelation for me and has changed the way I think about Müller Thürgau. This is a wine of endless complexity and energy. It is life affirming and invigorating. 

Awesome nose. Potpourri levels of complexity. Some Sponti but not too much but it adds so much. Melon fruit. So clean. Spice as well. Max makes Müller an experience. After air the nose ramps up complexity of an intense vanilla extract, leesy quality, unreal minerals and a confectionary quality. Lime zest. Hint of seltzer. Some hints of tropical fruits like kumqwats, mandarin orange and apricot. Also a sense of creaminess. Wow.

Palate is divine. So vivid and clean. Wine is juicy and deep but also has an appealing hint of mild olive like bitterness. Terrific acids that really leave a lasting impression. Really dense and substantial. Has terrific grip. This is really serious stuff. Wow! After 45 minutes this nose is lit. Oh my god. So complex and high toned. Also leather and forest notes now. From 9.3 to 9.4 on Delectable. Smokey. Just crazy. So dynamic and original. What a transformation with air. Sick sick sick. The beauty of this wine cannot be put into mere words. I was expecting a nice, zippy, clean wine, not this masterpiece. After air (40 minutes) it really delivers. Palate is so dense, yet lithe and elegant. Gorgeous purity and freshness. Long, nervy, creamy and mineral. A beautiful wine. Village level Burg quality here. Incredible finesse and sweetness from the intense fruit and mineral extract. Vibrates on the palate. Just incredible. As this opens it sharpens and gets more angles and even juicer. What a wine. Nose gets so much more complex. Incredible florals. Stunning. Leather. Herbs. Just a work of genius. 

On day 2 the wine was as compelling. Still with loads of spice but also peach and apricot. More fruit aromatically today. Yellow almost Marsanne like fruit. Terrific. Lanolin and a sense of richness. Palate is rich and ripe and lovely purity. Man this is pure. Also very dense and textured. Alive and fresh with such length. Dazzling bee sting. Reminiscent of great Fiano. 

Complex and just spectacular wine. Run and get this.  One of the greatest and original wine values I've ever sold.

This wine comes from vines 25 years old in a vineyard in Wolbach. It's 30% mash fermented and then spends 12 months in wood. It's been bottled now for 24 months and is still developing. 

2018 Max Geitlinger Wein Spatburgunder - $36.99 ($139.96 4-Pack) (*Including tariff of $3.60) (VERY LIMITED/ALLOCATED)

    2019 Max Geitlinger Muller - $27.99 ($103.96 4-pack) (*Including tariff of $2.36) (VERY LIMITED/ALLOCATED)