- Chambolle crossed with Nuits St. Georges
- An Old School Brugundy Vibe
- Deep Noble Structure
- Super Elite Aromatic Presence
- Single Vineyard Wine
- One of the Top Pinot Noirs in Germany
- Nose Jumps so High Out of That Glass
- Mulberry, Mid Season Cherries, Sour Cherries, Lilacs
- Smells Like an All Time Great Classic Burgundy
- Palate: Grand Cru All the Way
- Explosive Sweet Cherry Fruit
- That Burgundian Texture
- After 2 Hours - A Religous Experience
- One of the Greatest German Pinots I Have Had
- You Need to Pay $150+ for This Type Of Experience in Burgundy
2017 Max Geitlinger Wein Merlot
- Grand Cru German Merlot
- Gorgeous Nose of Plum and Spice
- Red Berry Fruit
- Gorgeous Raspberry Spice Cake
- Amazing Purity and Depth
- Like His Mentor Ziereisen, Every Grape Is Brilliant - a Must Try
2018 Max Geitlinger Wein "Gut & Edel"
- A Burgundian Take on a Geeky Baden/Swiss Grape
- Brilliant and Different Like Enderle and Moll Whites
- Explosive, Great Flavor Impact
- Great Freshness, Gorgeous Purity, Super Insane Value
- One of The Best Gutedels Ever
- VERY LIMITED
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. Then the icing on the cake is that Jancis Robinson raved about Max Geitlinger's wines at the Baden Landweinmarkt which was organized by Hanspeter and Edel Ziereisen which showcases the wineries in Baden that are deemed not being "typical" enough and are classified as "Landwein." Landwein is lower than Qualitswein but in Baden the Landwein producers including Ziereisen, 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. And one of those that Jancis said that, "These wines should be of serious interest to those looking for better-priced alternatives to red Burgundy." She also said, which we will dive into in the bottom portion of the email, "Many of the most interesting wines were Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris), Chardonnay and the convincing local speciality Gutedel (Chasselas)...."
The German pinot noir scene is growing up
- At first, it was mostly sort of a mish mash of overly oaked bizarre pinots with a small number of high
points (Furst, Rebholz) sprinkled in.
points (Furst, Rebholz) sprinkled in.
- Then we started to get groupings of quality around certain regions (Baden, Franken, Rheinhessen).
- And now, we are seeing a good number of superstar producers who are becoming harder to get (e.g. Enderle & Moll, Keller, Ziereisen). These superstars all have their own distinct stylistic imprints much as the greats in Burgundy do. And I'm trying to recognize the next generation of superstars. To pluck them early before they get allocated away. Max Geitlinger is not next as he is here. He has arrived.
Today's Winery
Today, I have a major offer of one of those emerging stars, Max Geitlinger. You would think as a protege of Hanspeter Ziereisen that his style would mirror that of his mentor, but that is not the case. The style is much more similar to that of Henrik Mobitz, the genius cancer researcher who was on a methodical quest to produce the best "Burgundian" Pinot Noir in Germany and retired from winemaking after the 17 vintage. His wines are more the Platonic ideal of etherial Burgundy. They are, perhaps, even more focused and linear than those of Mobitz.
But before we dive I to the first wine, the second wine is a "trust me Lyle wine." It's been a while that I've offered one of these up but is brilliant. It's Max's Merlot made from young vines. It's priced as much as the top Pinot. The combo of grape and price will scare some people but the wine is worth it in my opinion. It also, more than any other wine Max has made, shoes the true genius of his winemaking skills. I remember touring the vineyards in Feurbach in 2017 where Max planted Merlot and chatting with him about it. It's fascinating to see those just planted grapes and think about that moment and discuss what he was trying to make and see that vision fully realized. Yup. We got a Grand Cru German Merlot in the house.
The First Wine
This is a wine that truly a a moves the goalposts. The 2017 Max Geitlinger Wein Pinot Noir for $72.99 a bottle on a 3-pack. The wine is super elite Pinot Noir and a profound experience. It's a special occasion wine for sure. And it will wow just anybody. It blows me away. I've had a few knockout bottles of the 2016 recently that were perfumed and heavenly. The wine is essential Baden Pinot Noir. If I had to compare to Burgundy it's like Chambolle crossed with Nuits St. Georges. But the lighter NSGs near the Vosne-Romanee border. There's deep noble structure but also elite aromatic presence and palate density. There is an accessibility to this wine while it also has the structure to ensure a long life. Max has told me is was one barrel made from a single vineyard. This is the 3rd vintage. I think this needs to be in the conversion of one of the top Pinots in Germany. Had the 16 of this next to a 16 Möbitz Kapelle and the Max, that night, was the more "on" wine. The balance was just extraordinary as was the finish.
That nose. Jumps so high out of that glass Duke, Kentucky and North Carolina had scouts at the winery when it was being bottled. A nose that is hard to describe but I'll attempt it. Just stunning. Gorgeous mulberry, mid season cherries, some sour cherries but it's all ripe and perfect. Layers and layers of spice, hint of sweet oak that is so so alluring. Man this smells like an all time great classic Burgundy. A stunning stunning nose. Tree bark, Tolkien middle earth elements. I love it. As it aerates it ushers your nose to crazytown like only great Pinot Noir can.
What a palate. This is Grand Cru all the way. Incredible spice and beautifully elegant and sappy sweet fruit that does not quit. Silky and with a gorgeous hidden silken structure. Amazing palate presence and leaves one's palate stained with such intensity you get impatient waiting for it to clear so you can sip it again. Wow what texture. Like a silky velvet. Explosive sweet cherry fruit. It is young and also accessible but has the potential to age 15+ years. Amazing wine. Gorgeous, lithe tannins and incredible freshness gives this a wonderful buoyancy. As this opens the texture becomes more haunting and the persistence is just beyond. There is a restrained sweetness. This is one of the greatest German Pinots I have had. Stunning beyond belief. The length is crazy. This is limited and you all need to buy this. A benchmark in German Pinot Noir. After 1 hour this wine is just crazytown. Below is the 92 Point Score for Reinhardt, which is very good for German reds from him. He's stingy with German reds.
"Cultivated on the Jurassic limestone soils of the commune of Holzen for 36 years, macerated for four weeks and aged in new oak for two years, Geitlinger's extremely low-yielding 2017 Pinot Noir is wild and intense on the pure, fresh and charismatic nose that reveals wild cherry and berry aromas and remarkable concentration along with serious spiciness and terroir-driven freshness. Juicy, refined and fresh on the palate, this is a gorgeous everyday Pinot Noir with a silky texture, enormous vitality, fruit intensity and lots of finesse and charm. This is a gorgeous Pinot on an elevated "village" if not 1er cru level. It is crisp and crunchy on the tart but also juicy finish. Perfect balance and drinkability. 12.5% alcohol. 222 bottles were filled in April this year. Tasted from lot L 202012 in July 2020." - 92 Points, Stefan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate
Now is the wine that is the "trust me Lyle" wine. What is it? It's the type of wine that I would propose to you and the answer I'd get back is "what, are crazy? $73 German Merlot?." Then I say, "hold on, you need to trust me here."
Well the 2017 Max Geitlinger Wein Merlot ($72.99 each on a 3-pack) is a brilliant bottle of wine. This is clearly inspired by Pomerol. As soon as I poured it in my glass and sniffed I knew we were in a special Pomerol place. The to be honest it's like Neo-Pomerol, because it has that raspberry spice cake thing that great Pomerol has plus elite plumminess but also a nimble German precision and freshness that makes me like post modern Pomerol. Like that better than Neo Pomerol. It's fresh and deep but I can only imagine how deep this wine will be once these vines age. Ziereisen has mastered Syrah and makes by far the best in Germany and also competes with any Syrah in the world. But there is no essential German Merlot. This has the potential to be one. Max can own Merlot like Hanspeter owns Syrah. Tasting the Ziereisen Jaspis Syrah from 12-18 is remarkable as you see a wine go from very good "Hermitage" inspired wine to one is the best Syrahs in the world with the 2018. And each vintage along the way the wines gets better. I can't imagine 19. I believe Max is at the beginning of a similar cycle with this Merlot. Only time will tell. One barrel. 200 bottles.
German Merlot here we go!
Gorgeous nose of plum and spice. Some red berry fruit and tons of earthy and mineral character. Some spice and cocoa as well. Very pretty and super elegant nose. Layered, nuanced and deep. Smells like a cross between old school Pomerol and Fuerbach, where this comes from in Baden. So so dope. As it sits it develops this gorgeous raspberry spice cake and more earthy and bittersweet cocoa bits with a crazy spice element. What a ringer! It has killer airiness.
Palate is so good. Amazing purity and depth. So juicy and clean. Finishes so mineral and has big, ripe and juicy tannins. So pure and sappy. Really really well balanced. Terrific Bordeaux-like structure which suggests this will age for a decade at least but also has that 17 up front drink me now character. Just a terrific Merlot. Really gets even more freshness after some air. Such a beauty. There isn't a hair out of place. It's what the German do best in wine. Take something that's been around (Merlot), make it at a high level and they always have one foot in France and one foot in Germany.
Up next I have an absolutely brilliant bottle of one of my favorite quirky grapes. Chasselas as it's more commonly known but in this nook of Germany it's know as Gutedel and Max's version is as good as it gets. The 2018 Max Geitlinger Gut&Edel for $25.99 a bottle on a 4-pack is a stunning stunning wine. This is the only Gutedel I've sold that is not Hanspeter Ziereisen's. This one is worthy of that level of acclaim. It has similar DNA to the great Steingruble from Hanspeter but is a bit different. It has some discreet barrique aging but Max is a genius with framing use of wood that it is utterly brilliant and a distinct part of the wine like wood is on a great white burgundy.
Nose is lovely and earthy with ripe and vivid peach and melon. Very aromatic in such a unique way. It's stunning. After air it gets aromatically crazy. Stunningly complex. Wow. Feral, rich and mineral. Some fruit pith. Citrus peel. So so complex. Lemon? Amazing nose.
The palate is weightless yet rich. So so juicy and so elegant. Big acid, nerve and energy. It has huge fruit and mineral with wonderful texture and freshness. Very juicy and concentrated with killer balance and wonderful super dry and mineral finish. Stellar purity. So long. Brilliant. The wood is so well executed and provides a stunning balance to the intense acidity and rich character. It's so explosive and has intense flavor impact but meanwhile having a weightless character about it. Great freshness and just gorgeous purity. There is a roundness to this that shows what a brilliant touch Max has. So complex and long. So refined and fine with amazing precision and juiciness. So clean and so dazzlingly pure. This is unreal. Spice. Potpourri. Wow. Even some wood framing spice here. Wow. This is CRAZY LIMITED!
2017 Max Geitlinger Wein Pinot Noir - $74.99 ($218.97 3-pack)
(*Including tariff of $8.61)
2017 Max Geitlinger Wein Merlot - $74.99 ($218.97 3-pack)
(*Including tariff of $8.61)
2018 Max Geitlinger Wein Gut&Edel - $27.99 ($103.96 4-pack)
(*Including tariff of $2.34)
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