JAMES SUCKLING - 100 POINTS This is mineral magic! Unbelievably concentrated, but also unbelievably elegant and refined on the medium-bodied palate, this defies easy description. As you swirl the glass the various aromatic dimensions of the wine—stone fruit, citrus, fresh herbs and chalk dust—reveal themselves one after another. Incredibly long, pure and stony at the mind-blowing finish. Drink from release.
Stuart Pigott,
Senior Editor
WINE ADVOCATE - 98 - 100 POINTS From the Abtserde plot within the Brunnenhäuschen site in Westhofen, the 2023 Abts E Riesling GG is incredibly pure, deep and intense on the nose that is concentrated and chalky, with saline and lemony notes. Full-bodied, pure, fresh and saline on the palate, this is a highly complex and tight Riesling with a very intense, aromatic and structured finish. A great Riesling! Tasted as a sample in May this year.
For Keller, the 2023 vintage has once again turned out excellent. But in addition to an iron will and a lot of passion, it also took “a good bit of luck,” according to Klaus Peter Keller. “Two hailstorms—on August 25 August and September 12, with some golf ball-sized hail—missed our vineyards by only a few kilometers.” Otherwise, the growing season was marked by even more manual labor for Keller. ‘We simply wanted to further refine our work on the vines,’ says Keller. “Never before have we spent more hours in the vineyard than last year. For the first time, we also had to tend Pinot Noir plots, with planting densities of up to 20,000 vines per hectare, exclusively by hand. Only an old, restored seat plow helped with the work.”
When you drive through his vineyards with Keller, you quickly notice how respectfully he speaks of the soil, the vines and the whims of nature. And with how much humility. He seems to be a perpetual student and is obsessed with the idea of gaining an even better understanding of nature and the processes of the vine. This is only possible by observing. Even a KPK can't change the course of a vintage, but he can and must react to it; and with regard to global warming, find solutions for tomorrow and the next generations.
In 2023, nature presented Keller with enough challenges. The winter months were too warm and too dry. Fortunately, precipitation increased and April remained cool and wet. The Riesling vines budded on May 1. Then the temperatures rose significantly and Team Keller had to keep pace with the rapidly growing foliage. Flowering began around June 5 for the Pinot varieties and around June 10 for the Riesling, a little later than in previous years. It remained warm and dry until the last week of July. Keller kept powdery mildew (oidium) at bay with timely spraying with biological agents and a lot of manual work in the vineyard. The rain at the end of July came just in time, “because the vines need a lot of energy at this stage of the growing season,” says Keller. However, August was “too cool and much too humid. ... On the other hand, that was exactly what our grapes needed to slowly ripen and develop the finest aromas.” But then things took a different turn.
“Just when we felt we had done everything we could for the next good vintage," Keller said, "a storm front came in on August 25. The hailstorm caused serious damage in neighboring communities, but not here.”
At the beginning of September, the must weights for Riesling were still well below those of the previous year, and the acidity levels were correspondingly higher. “It would have been almost perfect, if September had continued with plenty of sunshine and little rain,” says Keller. “As if on cue, the weather was glorious from September onward, and we were able to start the sparkling wine harvest quickly at Zellerweg am schwarzen Herrgott. On September 8, we were already cutting the last grapes for sparkling wine in Rotenberg in Wachenheim and were thrilled with the quality that flowed from our basket press. From September 8 to 15, the Pinot Noir harvest lasted in Morstein, Bürgel, Frauenberg and Zellerweg at the Black Lord. Pinot Blanc and Sylvaner followed under the very best conditions from September 20 to 25, and we quickly approached the Riesling harvest, which was completed on October 2 with magnificent grapes."
Keller's 2023 Rieslings are in a class of their own, even though they were far from bottled at the time of my tasting, but they were quite ready. The 2022 Pinot Noirs are the finest I have ever tasted at Keller, and the 2023 Chardonnays are also astounding, not to mention the sparkling wines for which Felix is responsible. ... It's taking all of my superlatives just to describe the Keller range. A magnificent collection! Published: Oct 31, 2024
WINE ADVOCATE - 98 - 100 POINTS From the Abtserde plot within the Brunnenhäuschen site in Westhofen, the 2023 Abts E Riesling GG is incredibly pure, deep and intense on the nose that is concentrated and chalky, with saline and lemony notes. Full-bodied, pure, fresh and saline on the palate, this is a highly complex and tight Riesling with a very intense, aromatic and structured finish. A great Riesling! Tasted as a sample in May this year.
For Keller, the 2023 vintage has once again turned out excellent. But in addition to an iron will and a lot of passion, it also took “a good bit of luck,” according to Klaus Peter Keller. “Two hailstorms—on August 25 August and September 12, with some golf ball-sized hail—missed our vineyards by only a few kilometers.” Otherwise, the growing season was marked by even more manual labor for Keller. ‘We simply wanted to further refine our work on the vines,’ says Keller. “Never before have we spent more hours in the vineyard than last year. For the first time, we also had to tend Pinot Noir plots, with planting densities of up to 20,000 vines per hectare, exclusively by hand. Only an old, restored seat plow helped with the work.”
When you drive through his vineyards with Keller, you quickly notice how respectfully he speaks of the soil, the vines and the whims of nature. And with how much humility. He seems to be a perpetual student and is obsessed with the idea of gaining an even better understanding of nature and the processes of the vine. This is only possible by observing. Even a KPK can't change the course of a vintage, but he can and must react to it; and with regard to global warming, find solutions for tomorrow and the next generations.
In 2023, nature presented Keller with enough challenges. The winter months were too warm and too dry. Fortunately, precipitation increased and April remained cool and wet. The Riesling vines budded on May 1. Then the temperatures rose significantly and Team Keller had to keep pace with the rapidly growing foliage. Flowering began around June 5 for the Pinot varieties and around June 10 for the Riesling, a little later than in previous years. It remained warm and dry until the last week of July. Keller kept powdery mildew (oidium) at bay with timely spraying with biological agents and a lot of manual work in the vineyard. The rain at the end of July came just in time, “because the vines need a lot of energy at this stage of the growing season,” says Keller. However, August was “too cool and much too humid. ... On the other hand, that was exactly what our grapes needed to slowly ripen and develop the finest aromas.” But then things took a different turn.
“Just when we felt we had done everything we could for the next good vintage," Keller said, "a storm front came in on August 25. The hailstorm caused serious damage in neighboring communities, but not here.”
At the beginning of September, the must weights for Riesling were still well below those of the previous year, and the acidity levels were correspondingly higher. “It would have been almost perfect, if September had continued with plenty of sunshine and little rain,” says Keller. “As if on cue, the weather was glorious from September onward, and we were able to start the sparkling wine harvest quickly at Zellerweg am schwarzen Herrgott. On September 8, we were already cutting the last grapes for sparkling wine in Rotenberg in Wachenheim and were thrilled with the quality that flowed from our basket press. From September 8 to 15, the Pinot Noir harvest lasted in Morstein, Bürgel, Frauenberg and Zellerweg at the Black Lord. Pinot Blanc and Sylvaner followed under the very best conditions from September 20 to 25, and we quickly approached the Riesling harvest, which was completed on October 2 with magnificent grapes."
Keller's 2023 Rieslings are in a class of their own, even though they were far from bottled at the time of my tasting, but they were quite ready. The 2022 Pinot Noirs are the finest I have ever tasted at Keller, and the 2023 Chardonnays are also astounding, not to mention the sparkling wines for which Felix is responsible. ... It's taking all of my superlatives just to describe the Keller range. A magnificent collection! Published: Oct 31, 2024
