Weingut Keller
Abts E de Riesling
Rheinhessen, Germany
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.
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.
Stone dry almost austere. Meyer lemons, flint, chalk and delicious salt. Decant and leave it untouched for several hours it will sing.
Stone dry almost austere. Meyer lemons, flint, chalk and delicious salt. Decant and leave it untouched for several hours it will sing.
May 24th, 2021Drank in the beginning of the year. Missed out on adding my notes here. Best bottle of the lot I brought back to Malaysia. So dense. Like the rows in the vineyard, the finish is long and lined with chalk. The herbal elements in this wine just takes me back to days in the vineyard. Emotional really, especially in times like this. Hope to be back in Abtserde next year.
Drank in the beginning of the year. Missed out on adding my notes here. Best bottle of the lot I brought back to Malaysia. So dense. Like the rows in the vineyard, the finish is long and lined with chalk. The herbal elements in this wine just takes me back to days in the vineyard. Emotional really, especially in times like this. Hope to be back in Abtserde next year.
Jan 11th, 2021This bottle looked a little suspect when I first opened it. It just didn't have that anticipated tightness in the nose - lacks the residual flint scents from spontaneous fermentation. Feeling a little disappointed, especially after my previous experience with this batch of bottles (see the last time I had this), I decided I wouldn't even taste it and let the wine air until lunch some 4 hours later. Lo and behold, the wine decided it would sing. Powerful aromas of pineapple, lemon, and herbs. Dig deeper and you can sense the floral and stony elements. There's a certain warmth to the nose, which in a way rang some alarm bells on bottle condition (the 17' Abtserde also typically leads with stone and chalk characters), but it does provide for some intrigue. The palate is explosive, with incredible intensity and depth; and to quote a friend, "all held together by rapier-like acidity and palpable phenolic texture". Endless finish. A stunning wine, despite my postulation that this isn't an pristine bottle.
This bottle looked a little suspect when I first opened it. It just didn't have that anticipated tightness in the nose - lacks the residual flint scents from spontaneous fermentation. Feeling a little disappointed, especially after my previous experience with this batch of bottles (see the last time I had this), I decided I wouldn't even taste it and let the wine air until lunch some 4 hours later. Lo and behold, the wine decided it would sing. Powerful aromas of pineapple, lemon, and herbs. Dig deeper and you can sense the floral and stony elements. There's a certain warmth to the nose, which in a way rang some alarm bells on bottle condition (the 17' Abtserde also typically leads with stone and chalk characters), but it does provide for some intrigue. The palate is explosive, with incredible intensity and depth; and to quote a friend, "all held together by rapier-like acidity and palpable phenolic texture". Endless finish. A stunning wine, despite my postulation that this isn't an pristine bottle.
Jul 13th, 2020Admittedly not the best showing of the 17' Abtserde, although still delicious. I suspect I may have hurt it somewhere along the line. Incredibly tight when first opened, so I left it to air in the bottle for the next couple of hours (3-4 hours?). Developed a slightly honeyed note in the back palate when I came back to it. Not like it was bad, but it's not something I would attribute to riesling this young, especially from KP. The nose flourished though - very floral with ripe citrus notes, fresh herbs, and earthy rocks (reminiscent of the vineyard itself). The palate was powerful and incredibly saline. Huge extract, balanced by KP's typical precision. I felt the finish was marred by the honeyed note, although still long. Left a little bit in the bottle to try the next day - fruit notes gone by then, replaced by waxy and overwhelmingly saline notes. Good wine, but could be better.
Admittedly not the best showing of the 17' Abtserde, although still delicious. I suspect I may have hurt it somewhere along the line. Incredibly tight when first opened, so I left it to air in the bottle for the next couple of hours (3-4 hours?). Developed a slightly honeyed note in the back palate when I came back to it. Not like it was bad, but it's not something I would attribute to riesling this young, especially from KP. The nose flourished though - very floral with ripe citrus notes, fresh herbs, and earthy rocks (reminiscent of the vineyard itself). The palate was powerful and incredibly saline. Huge extract, balanced by KP's typical precision. I felt the finish was marred by the honeyed note, although still long. Left a little bit in the bottle to try the next day - fruit notes gone by then, replaced by waxy and overwhelmingly saline notes. Good wine, but could be better.
Feb 7th, 2020Gout de petrol but ultimate refined, pure, delineated, great acidity and minerality. Wait another 10 years to drink this baby.
Gout de petrol but ultimate refined, pure, delineated, great acidity and minerality. Wait another 10 years to drink this baby.
1 person found it helpfulOct 4th, 2019
Picking Abtserde in 2017 was an absolute pain. It was affected the worst by hail. Took us an entire day to sort and pick just one row, granted they were long rows. And not to mention the wasps... Devil spawns... these creatures. Thank God 2018 didn't see this problem.
Anyway, rant aside... This wine blew my mind... Again. Maybe I'm biased... But it's just so pure... So fucking pure... Mineral hedonistic crystalline precision! If that even makes sense. Explosive pleasure! In short, heavenly 🤤
NB: I rated this 9.9 just to differentiate it from the sheer cacophony of flavour in the G-Max. In comparison, the 17' Absterde's a little closed atm. But still... Great stuff. Really great stuff.
Picking Abtserde in 2017 was an absolute pain. It was affected the worst by hail. Took us an entire day to sort and pick just one row, granted they were long rows. And not to mention the wasps... Devil spawns... these creatures. Thank God 2018 didn't see this problem.
Anyway, rant aside... This wine blew my mind... Again. Maybe I'm biased... But it's just so pure... So fucking pure... Mineral hedonistic crystalline precision! If that even makes sense. Explosive pleasure! In short, heavenly 🤤
NB: I rated this 9.9 just to differentiate it from the sheer cacophony of flavour in the G-Max. In comparison, the 17' Absterde's a little closed atm. But still... Great stuff. Really great stuff.