2010 - Maximin Grunhauser Herrenberg Riesling Auslese Nr21, Von Schubert

A Chartreuse-like concentration of herbal essences scents the 2010 Maximin Grunhauser Herrenberg Riesling Auslese Fuder #21 and along with honeydew melon dominates the palate in liqueur-like fashion. Fortunately, a current of fresh lime enlivens while balancing the over 100 grams of residual sugar; and suggestions of nut paste and honey add to the layered virtues of this long-finishing elixir. I would anticipate at least 25 years of allure and interest from this wine that came from a single portion of Herrenberg, high up and toward the Ruwer. Year-by-year, proprietor Carl von Schubert and cellarmaster and vineyard manager Stefan Kraml continue to reestablish the sort of quality and reliability for which this venerable estate was a watchword through most of the late 20th century. They still have some way to go, but it is important to emphasize that the style associated with all but the disappointing last several years of Alphonse Heinrich's half-century tenure as cellarmaster and vineyard manager is not coming back, because that is something which could not be formulated or intuitively reconstructed and was not passed-on. For accounts of what the team here has done in the cellar in recent years as well as on the evolution of recent labeling and portfolio changes, I refer readers to earlier reports. I should add, though, that beginning with 2010 use of Pradikat terms has been entirely eliminated for dry wines. And without imputing causation, I can't help but note that the elimination of "Kabinett" has, at least this year, gone hand-in-hand with their replacement by wines lacking the clarity, focus, and infectious juiciness that characterized pre-1999 Grunhaus "trocken Kabinetts" or for that matter Q.b.A.s and Spatlesen. Late picking; extended skin contact for the dry wines; selective double-salt de-acidification of must; and prolonged lees contact with later-than-usual bottling (June for most dry wines; August for the nobly sweet) were salient features of the es