2018 1896 Longuicher Maximin Herrenberg Alte Reben Black Label
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Tasting notes
Still dry-tasting, but noticeably lighter in alcohol than its legally trocken counterpart, this bottling accentuates its doppelgänger’s textural contrasts. Here, we have palpable lees enrichment and subtle creaminess playing against a bright sense of animation. Lime, grapefruit, white peach and lingonberry are suffused with green herbs and black tea that convey elusive smokiness and pungency. The vibrantly lingering finish delivers a shimmering interaction of smoky, crystalline stony and alkaline notes with the citrus, pit fruits and herbal elements. I’m not sure what the Loewens would do if Christopher’s wine from these ancient vines ever crossed the fermentative line into legal Trockenheit, or Karl Josef’s ever got hung up in halbtrocken territory, since their two “1896” bottlings would then be indistinguishable by name. But the younger Loewen’s more laissez-faire and consciously back-to-the-future approach seems consistently to result in a wine whose residual sugar is in the lower range of Halbtrockenheit (in this instance, 12 grams). Some would suggest that this demonstrates how Riesling frequently “wants” to be, and until 50 years ago very, very often was. (For details on this wine’s vinification and labeling, consult my review of its vintage 2017 instantiation. For details concerning the site itself and its 125-year-old vines, consult my reviews of the corresponding 2015 and 2016.)
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
The lemons are out on a stoney chopping board, which is dripping in juice and still fragrant from garlic and cloves. This oozes spices and depth. Phenolic and quite chewy, with a deeply crafted texture, and bursting with life and freshness. Dense and compact. Drink now or hold.
There are two categories of German wine critics: those who work for national publications and those who work for international media. It is the latter who stick their neck out and proclaim that the two different versions of the 1896 are world class, while their colleagues, who write for the home market, tread more carefully, for whatever reasons. There have even been public spats between the two factions. The irony is that you probably can’t even get these wines abroad. The fact is that it is not opulent exuberance that distinguishes the Maximin Herrenberg 1896, but its finely poised balance of multi-faceted fruit, exhilarating herbal freshness and compact minerality. It does not hit you with power, but makes its impact slowly but surely with finesse and sophistication. It could be said that the 2018 vintage has helped to make it more seductive than ever. (MS)