2005 Maximin Grunhauser Herrenberg Beerenauslese

The 2005 Maximin Grunhauser Herrenberg Riesling Beerenauslese smells and tastes of nectarine, grapefruit, and red currant jelly. Bright lemon-lime acidity and honeyed richness set up an intriguing tension on the palate and the finish is formidably – indeed almost blazingly and almost stridently – concentrated, if not exactly enveloping or enticing. There is little question that this has exceptional potential and might relax sufficiently even in the short term to become more winesome. Certainly, though, the long term for this wine has to be measured in several decades. Stefan Kraml met me well before eight o’clock on a mid-August morning with an air of quiet confidence and near nonchalance that tipped me off to what would follow: a display of Grunhaus quality such as practically went without saying a decade or more ago. He and owner Carl von Schubert have regained their footing, despite a year in which what von Schubert described as nature’s eventual “turbo-autumn” was preceded by severe hail and an unprecedented tornado that felled 200-year-old trees and a portion of the vineyard walls – to say nothing of the toll it took on vines! The harvest began October 10 and – like many a successful one this year – was finished in a mere two action-packed weeks. Up to the level of B.A., incidentally, all of the wines fermented spontaneously. Also recommended: 2005 Maximin Grunhauser Herrenberg Riesling Spatlese feinherb (unknown; 84+?). Importer: P. J. Valckenberg International, Tulsa, OK; tel. (918) 622-0424