Aaron Tan

9.9

One of the best evenings of wine I’ve had this year, and it was just focused on this duo. Opened as inspiration for this year’s red pick at Miao Lu (a name to remember for those reading. I’ll say it here first - some of the best Pinot’s and Chard’s in the world will be coming out of this project high up in Yunnan!), and they both gave great context to the task.

When I harvested with Klaus-Peter in 2017, the vineyards bore the scars of hail, every last one of them. The damage was manifest in what we came to call "hail berries" (misshapen berries). To my untrained palate, they tasted perfectly fine. Naturally, I asked KP why we were discarding them, and his response, while not entirely unexpected, was still astonishing (paraphrasing of course): "I don't need to know precisely what they do," he said, "but if there's even a chance they might diminish the wine by 1%, they're gone. And these? They look capable of much worse."

That unyielding spirit of his was, I must admit, my torment at Abtserde, the vineyard hit hardest by the hail. We spent an entire day sorting and picking a single row - granted, the rows were long, but the pace was glacial. The true enemy, though, wasn’t the relentless sorting, but the wasps. Those little demons made an already grueling task even more daunting, dodging their stings as we plucked berries one by one, like selecting pearls from a troubled sea. What we ended up with were, quite literally, tiny gems - "caviar" berries of purity. By day’s end, the sight was something to behold. Despite the torment, the hard work was unquestionably worth it. The 17’ Abtserde is my wine of the vintage.

I’ve had the 17’ Abtserde on numerous occasions but this takes the cake as the best (note to self: best to decant a young Abtserde hard). It is a marvel of purity and depth, with its nose evoking Meyer lemon, iodine, chalk, and flint. These aromas reappear on the palate with a nearly overwhelming intensity, blending piquant brightness and mineral-rich concentration. With more air, a floral, bittersweet herbal note very typical of the vineyard appears (smells like the place even). As the evening unfolded, the wine seemed to grow younger, each glass more lively than the last. The final sip was almost painfully austere, like drinking pure limestone, its explosive palate held together by sharp acidity and a palpable, phenolic grip. The finish seemed endless. One of my best Keller experiences this year. — 4 days ago

Scott Kahn

9.3

Beautifully balanced with pronounced red fruit and distinct tannic structure. Only purple, red color with a nice acidity to complement red meat. A great wine now that can easily cellar for many years. — 21 days ago

Ellen Clifford

9.0

Exclusively from their vineyards in the northern part of Vinho Verde, Monção and Melgaço. I’ve been there! That’s where I accidentally got up two hours early cause my clock switched to Spain time and I thought that meant I'dn need to get up an hour early. Contacto has a little more skin contact than average, turning up with a slight texture and friendly bitter bite. On the nose, it’s fresh lemon zest, wet stone and whetstone, with a bit of white flower. The palate is utterly thirst-quenching, veering into dried apricot territory and a bit of (as I said above) fun bitterness countering the fruit. It all wraps up with a sluice of salinity. Fun, fun, fun! — 2 months ago

Alexandre Pagliano

9.2

Bright medium rubi robe, nose of crushed flowers, asian spices and cherries. Medium bodied, light on its feet, drinking truly well now but with many years ahead, its elegant, complex and does not lack power either. Top barolo. — 6 days ago

with Adriana

Ron Siegel

9.4

Drinking well with its big, rich flavors & beautiful aromatics showing dark cherry, berry, lots of spice, game, iron, underbrush, pepper & floral notes — a month ago

Ashraf Attal

9.3

Celebrating with the kids 😁 — 20 days ago

with Aly

Lyn Farmer

9.1

Smokey black cherry, strawberry, blackberry and forest floor. Starting to show tertiary character with leather and meat. Elegant tannins ands a lovely balance of fruit, acid and alcohol. Very good quality and delicious drinking now. — 9 days ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.4

Great vintage for the La La’s. But it’s not ready. The nose is stunning, captivatingly aromatic after a few hours in the decanter, layered with Northern Rhône classicism of blackberry, camphor and bacon fat. The palate is massively concentrated but oaky and stiff. Needs more time to integrate but all the pieces are there! — 14 days ago

romo

9.0

Called Alsace Pinot Gris. Lush and zippy. — 11 days ago

Steven Heydemann

9.3

1996. With ample air and double decant this wine is now showing beautifully. — 6 days ago