Is this the shelter where you adopted Houdini and Deus?
A few notes to help out their friends. From a mostly-Keller Abtserde tasting that Adrian hosted last night. The wines were all outstanding, though for all the hype (and price) the Abtserde GG gets, I found myself getting the more enjoyment from the Spätlese (and I recall it being the first bottle emptied as well).
2016 Weingut Keller Abts E® Riesling Großes Gewächs
Impressive, though this gives the impression of needing a lot of time. There’s fresh, pale orchard fruit and intense minerality here, with time bringing out more high toned/greener herbal elements on the nose and palate. Fantastic overall balance with bright acidity that makes it feel very lively and bright, though it always gives the impression that it’s holding something in reserve.
2015 Weingut Keller Abts E® Riesling Großes Gewächs
Like the 2016, it gives the impression of being very young and somewhat unyielding at first. Unlike the 16, it opens up quite nicely with some time in the decanter, and with some air this turns into a remarkably vivid and intense expression of minerality. There’s plenty of ripe Riesling fruit and a light floral note as well, but those characteristics are in the background and play a supporting role to the intense rocky mineral notes that dominate here. A fantastic wine to sit down and explore over a few hours. My favorite of the trio of GGs.
2006 Weingut Keller Abts E®.de Riesling Großes Gewächs
Poured after the '15 and '16 Abtserde GGs. I love the aromatics here - there’s the same bright fruit and minerality the other 2 Abtserdes showed, but the botrytis here adds more depth with exotic tropical fruit and honeyed notes. Of the 3 GGs, this had easily my favorite aromatic profile, with air also bringing out some light smoky and burnished notes. It shows the richness of the vintage of the palate too - it’s a heavier, slightly softer wine than the '15/'16 GGs, but still is very well balanced with no shortage of cut. Fantastic, though this is very much at peak and I don’t see this improving with more time in the cellar. Aside - the label on the other GGs says “Abts E®” (ah yes, thanks VDP and your absurd rules), this one says “Abtserde.”
2016 Weingut Keller Abts E® Riesling Spätlese
As good as the GGs were, this was my easy favorite of the whole lineup in terms of pure visceral pleasure. This feels electric with tons of acidity beneath an array of ripe citrus and tropical fruits, fresh herbs, and tons of minerality. It feels just slightly off dry, and the overall balance here is absolutely perfect. So damn delicious I can’t decide if I just want to drink a bunch more right now, or give these some time in the cellar.
2017 Weingut Keller Abts E® Riesling Auslese
Like this a lot, but it seems painfully young and somewhat of a monolith right now. It’s packed with ripe tropical fruit, honey, and plenty of acidity to balance the sweetness - but just comes across somewhat thick and primary at this stage, without the sheer electricity that marked the Spätlese and none of the complexity I expect time will bring. I’ll leave my bottles alone for some time, and I expect this should evolve into something amazing given the raw materials and overall sense of balance here.