"These wines should be of serious interest to those looking for better-priced alternatives to red Burgundy."- Jancis Robinson on German Landwein
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.
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.
The Wines A wine that truly moves the goalposts. The 2017 Max Geitlinger Wein Pinot Noir "maximal" for $35.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. The wine is super elite Pinot Noir and a profound experience. And it will wow just anybody. It blew me away. 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 NSG's 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.
OMG what a nose! Jumps so high out of that glass. 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. Vivid nose after air of mid season cherries, spice presented with top notch clarity. So clean. The spice just lifts this and takes it to another level. Mesmerizing. It’s a Xmas spice. Cardamon and clove. Dehydrated orange rind. Tree bark. Hint of sweet wood, but just barely. So good. 9.6 nose. Special 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. This nose just gets better and better as it aerates.
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. Stunning beyond belief. The length is crazy. Oh man is this pretty. So elegant. Chambolle / Volnay levels here. Wow. Ripe, velvety tannin that are so precise and have great cut and sap. Such a completeness to this wine. This is drinking so well now but 3-6 years in the cellar will improve. It gets grippy and tight with more air but the balance is there. Sappy and so pure. Love the cut of this. I need a restraining order on this wine or it won't leave my palate alone. Judge! This is limited and you all need to buy this. A benchmark in German Pinot Noir. After 1 hour this wine is just crazytown.
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 2019 Max Geitlinger Gut&Edel for $31.99 a bottle on a 4-pack is a stunning stunning wine. Max’s best Gutedel yet. This is the best Gutedel I have had since Ziereisen's 10-4 Jaspis which is $120. 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. Nose is superb. Lots of complex minerality. Herbs and subtle spice. Lanolin and a wonderful windy airiness. So pretty. Reminds me of a lean Jacquere from Savoie. Just killer. Smells like a scene in nature. Standing on a clearing in a forest overlooking a beach with the wind blowing the detritus. What a wonderful smell. Some peach skin if you really are looking for fruit. Chasselas in general has no fruit to speak of. It's stunning. After air it gets aromatically crazy. Stunningly complex. Wow. 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. Palate is wonderful. Big time structure and density with intense minerality and sap. Very fresh, very pure, with such a nice core of minerals. Like liquid rocks. Some herbs and some sort of umami flavor. This is so clean and so pure.
Long finish. Like way longer than it should be. Easily best Gut&Edel I’ve had from Max. What a wine and what a finish. A true sum of its parts wine.
Acid gets more metal as this airs. Nose becomes more floral and also herbal. Truly wow. Almost a 9.5. So intense and tangy. Some intense high acid grapefruit confectionary goodness! 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 "Maximal Spatburgunder" - $37.99 ($143.96 4-Pack)
2019 Max Geitlinger Wein Gut&Edel - $33.99 ($127.96 4-Pack)
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