Located on steep, south-facing slopes, two kilometres from where the Ruwer River meets the Mosel, the estate of Maximin Grünhaus has a viticulture history dating back to the Roman era. It takes its current name from the Abbey of Saint Maximin, a Benedictine monastery which owned the land from the 7th to the 18th century. Passing first to the French administration under Napoleon, then to the von Schubert family in the late 19th century, the estate is now overseen by the family’s sixth-generation, Maximin Von Schubert, who took over from his father Carl in 2014.

Maximin Grünhaus is a world-class Riesling specialist, with vineyards divided into three separate, but contiguous plots: the ‘Abtsberg’, the ‘Herrenberg’, and the ‘Bruderberg’. Each plot has its own distinct microclimate, aspect and soil that lends itself to unique Riesling expressions. Work in the vineyards is finely tuned with nature, with organic fertilisers and wild herb cover crops preferred to pesticides or herbicides. Grapes are harvested by hand in several passes to capture perfect ripeness levels across the vintage. Winemaker Stefan Kraml, who has been with the estate since 2004, focuses on expressing the character of Riesling from each plot. The cellar is minutes from the vineyards to ensure quick pressing after harvest, which retains aromatics. Depending on vintage conditions, grapes are destemmed or whole-bunch-pressed, before clarification through natural settling. Stefan ferments using indigenous yeasts, in small stainless-steel tanks and classic large oak casks, made by local coopers using wood from the estate’s own forests.

Grape: Riesling

Region: Mosel

Country: Germany

ABV: 11.5%

Vintage: 2023