2019 Weingut Keller, Riesling Trocken, Estate QbA, Rheinhessen, Germany.
This crystalline and pure 2019 Estate Riesling Trocken from Klaus Peter Keller, one of Germany’s greatest winemakers, is an exceptional bottling and a sublime value, it drinks more like a Erste Lage or a baby GG, but with a little less concentration and no oak, showing fine aromatics, mineral notes and stone fruits. This dry Riesling delivers an energy driven performance in the glass with vibrant lime, green apple, tart white peach, grapefruit and quince fruits, along with orange blossoms, chamomile, wet stones, verbena and bitter almonds that accent this bracing wine. Klaus Peter Keller, a huge Burgundy fan, worked with Hubert and Roman Lignier and Eric Rousseau in the Cote d’Or, brings that experience to his wines here in the Rheinhessen, and he has a star studded collection of Rieslings which are coveted by enthusiasts with savvy Riesling fans grabbing these Estate versions. This wine has that amazing tension you want in Riesling, but is also impeccably balanced with nicely ripe flavors and is flexible with food choices, going with everything from oysters to cured ham.
Klaus Peter Keller and Philippe Wittmann have inspired an entire generation of young winemakers leading to a Renaissance in the Rheinhessen, a region that includes historic vineyards, including Grand Cru sites, like Kirchspiel, Hubacker, Morstein and Abtserde, as well as the workman like vineyard of Hipping, where these superstars have made some of Germany’s most sought after wines, with Keller’s G-Max bottling being one of the world’s most expensive white wines. Klaus Peter and Julia Keller have made Keller an iconic label, focusing on dry wines and now have a cult like following for their GGs, but don’t miss the basic estate efforts, like this Riesling Trocken, which has seen a huge rise in quality, with Keller using older vines here. While I can only dream about Keller’s Grosses Gewachs, which get Montrachet like money, wines like this one are cherished and give just a hint of just how good the top bottlings are. Keller also does fabulous work with other varietals, besides Riesling, crafting very tasty versions of Scheurebes, Rieslaners and Sylvaners, one I have really enjoyed in recent vintages. I highly recommend buying these entry level estate wines, especially on pre-sale (arrival) to get the best price, as they are exceptional efforts, like this one.
($25-$38 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive