2023 Riesling Goldtröpfchen Grand Cru Dry - $36
2023 Riesling Ohligsberg Grand Cru Dry - $36

"Max Kilburg produced a hugely exciting collection of 2023er Rieslings, which shine through intensity, precision, and balance. Yet again, his talent comes to light among dry as well as sweet wines... This estate may be tiny in size (with less than 2 ha), but it is huge in quality!"
-Mosel Fine Wines, No. 74, Dec. 2024

Or maybe he already is a star? Sometimes the rapidity of it all even surprises us.

We first introduced Max Kilburg in April of 2021 with his lovely 2020 Kabinetts. The 2020 Grand Cru dry Riesling offer came out about a year later. Both offers sold briskly, which was maybe a bit surprising given these were the first appearances of his wines in the U.S.

But on the other hand, the Rieslings are crystalline and forceful, well-balanced and poised. The prices are more than fair and Max's biography, with time spent with Julian Haart, surely didn't hurt.

Yet, by the time we offered Max's 2021 Kabinetts something had already changed; people were talking. The offer sold out immediately and we simply couldn't meet demand. A friend told us about a few bottles that resurfaced on WineBid some months later and sold for over $100.

Max prices his wines very fairly and we will too. These are the same prices as last year (actually down a bit given the strength of the dollar) and we'd ask that you honor this as well. Please don't buy these wines just to resell. Buy them to drink them!

And drink them ye should: Today we present what is quickly becoming a dry Riesling phenomenon, two Grand Cru bottlings from the Goldtröpfchen and Ohligsberg vineyards.

As Mosel Fine Wines recounts, Max excelled in the superb, yet tricky 2023 vintage. Again, this is an issue of his unquestionable talent, but also of scale. Max farms less than two hectares for this micro-project and so he can be wildly (wildly) selective. You can taste the force and agility, the cut and delineation of these wines. If the common sin of the vintage is a certain lazy, plumpness, Max's 2023ers are lightning bolts.

We've presented the full story a few times, but here's the quick recap. We first heard Max's name when he worked with Julian Haart a few years ago. While Max is the 20th-generation winemaker at his family's historic estate, Geierslay, the two Grand Crus on offer today are part of his own small line of wines sourced from two, older-vine parcels in both the Ohligsberg and the Goldtröpfchen totaling less than two hectares.

Trapped at home in quarantine for most of 2020 and early 2021, the reviews coming from Mosel Fine Wines piqued our interest to be sure. They wrote things like: "Mosel lovers of refined and playful wines have a new star to put on their radar screen!" So when we were finally able to go back to Germany, in August of 2021, the visit to Kilburg was one of our most anticipated visits. The wines did not disappoint.

Since then, well, we've had a regular appointment with Max. He is undoubtedly a talent... yet there is not much to be had. So yes, quantities of the Grand Crus are very limited. Please give us your maximum order and we will do our best. The wines should be able to ship in mid-January!

Stephen and Robert

2023 Max Kilburg Riesling Goldtröpfchen Grand Cru Dry - $36
"The Goldtröpfchen Riesling Trocken 2023, as it is referred to on the consumer label, is a bone-dry wine made from fruit picked on up to 30-year-old vines in a parcel in the Niederemmel part of the vineyard and was fermented and matured for 12 months in an old oak cask and stainless-steel tank. This yellow-hay-colored wine offers a beautiful nose made of pear, passion fruit, fine herbs, and spices. It is nicely juicy and playful on the palate, where the spicy side is enhanced by tart minerals and ripe zesty elements. The finish is beautifully precise, packed with mouthwatering fruit, and spices. This is a very playful yet focused expression of dry Riesling in the making."  -Mosel Fine Wines, No. 74, Dec. 2024

2023 Max Kilburg Riesling Ohligsberg Grand Cru Dry - $36
"The Ohligsberg Riesling Trocken 2023, as it is referred to on the consumer label, is a bone-dry wine made from fruit picked on up to 40-year-old vines and was pressed in an old basket press before being fermented and matured for 12 months in stainless-steel tank. This hay-colored wine offers a beautiful and subtly complex nose made of pear, prune, a hint of tangerine, minerals, mint, and smoke. It has beautiful cut and precision on the palate, where the fruit is lifted by zest and minerals. The finish is elegant, finely chiseled, and remarkably persistent. This gorgeous dry Riesling made in a refreshing style now only needs a few years to tame its youthful exuberance." -Mosel Fine Wines, No. 74, Dec. 2024

To order please email orders@sourcematerialwine.com.