2016 Weingut Keller Abts E® Riesling Großes Gewächs - Germany, Rheinhessen (8/14/2018)
This wine started out with a massive dose of orchard fruit (apples and pears) with a bit of the yeast smell from super young riesling (that part dissipated as the evening wore on). There is plenty to love here, with the fruit giving way to a firm spine of acidity and minerality on the palate. This is a softer and more approachable edition in comparison to the immensely structural 2015 (which was really all mineral backbone) that I had around the same time last year. I hope with time that this will broaden out on the palate a little bit, as it’s a touch too linear right now. There’s great potential without a doubt, but I ultimately think that the 2015 will be the greater wine. (93 pts.)
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Thanks. Don’t have enough to try one yet!
But I thought each successive year was Keller’s best vintage ever.
World view…shattered.
No silly, that’s Julian Haart.
I’ve given up on opening Keller GG’s this soon after release. They seem to show so much better a year out. I don’t have enough experience to say that absolutely, but quite a few bottles at each stage have shown consistent results. Of course, I get so little Abtserde that I wouldn’t dream of opening one this early anyway, but it’s always nice to read a note.
lol i was just reading John Gilman’s take on Haart yesterday.
I do think some “younger” producers tend to make better wines each year as they focus in on the sites and how to work with them. Liger Belair I think is a great example of it. Just watching the growth/quality of the wine from 02-2010 is very compelling.
I absolutely agree that it tends to be wasteful to open Keller GGs so soon after release. But when you see them on restaurant lists with barely any markup, I don’t have a problem taking them down to get an early gauge. The way I see it, it’s me or someone else.
Have them hide gmax for when I’m in town k?
True. The majority of the Keller I have consumed has been in German restaurants. My own stash is well hidden apart from the ‘basic’ wines.
This wine is getting as hard to find & source as the G-Max now…if I saw one at a restaurant with a minimal mark-up…I’d snag it in a heart beat! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for the note. I don’t open these right after release, but given the short history of these GGs I try to open them relatively frequently to get a sense of when I like them best. I’ve been popping some '11 Keller GGs recently and they’ve really been singing - the Morstein in particular. I’m tempted to open more.
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I’ve recommitted to buying this after our dinner in the fall. Great wines. Care to share the restaurant ?