TN: 2005 Keller Riesling trocken S

never had this wine before. The little I could unearth indicates it’s hard to find and sold to longtime customers. Thick aromas just flow out of the glass, almost liquid in intensity. There’s all kinds of stone fruit on the palate buttressed by a soft acidity and great palate presence. It bores deep into the palate where it leaves a long finish. The sweet fruit belies that it is a trocken. Really delicious. Tell me more.

Drinkin a Keller too Doc…although just a 16 Von der fels. Yours sounds amazing! [cheers.gif]

Interesting, never seen this bottling before though. As it happens I have a bottle of Keller’s 2014 Grauburgunder S in the cellar - no idea about that one either, I guess I need to open it to find out.

I can’t add much to what the wine’s story might be, but I have drunk through 8 bottles of t now and it’s been great to fantastic every time. As good as Keller wines can be young, bottles like this and the '04 Von der Fels I’ve had many times show just how much they benefit from time.

Back in early 2018 a friend of mine was opening a 2007 Abtserd GG so I opened the 2015 of the same. While the 2015 was clearly an amazing wine…it didn’t have quite the same depth as the 2007. In the end, it was such a tough call to see which of them I really preferred. However, it also has changed how long I’m waiting to open bottles of the Abtserd GG. As for the Riesling trocken S, maybe this was a kin to the GG’s before they started marking them in 2006 as GG’s?

Based on a number of recent experiences, we’ve come to strongly believe that 15 years is entering the sweet spot for top GGs, including Keller. As you say, they can be delicious before that, but they develop so much more depth and character with a little more time.

I think the trocken S bottles I’ve had (2004 and 2005) are certainly approaching GGs in quality, but do not have the same personality and concentration. Small correction - Keller was labeling GGs several years earlier than 2006. I don’t have a definite time table across all the bottlings, but know there was an official 2001 GMax, and I have several different 2002’s in the cellar. I’ve seen pictures of earlier than that, but only bottles that he had with friends and family.

Thank you for the update and I know you’ve had a ton of experience with this producer. It’s always nice to have someone set things strait with tact & kindness like you have here.

Personally I think Sarah is 1000% wrong. But since I respect her palate more than anyone else I know, I am going to suffer through her continuing to open 15+ year old GGs that have been perfectly stored since release just to prove me wrong.

Just like I tell every German winemaker I visit that Rieslings can’t age and then watch them trudge down the cellar to pull out a 71 or 76 to prove me wrong :slight_smile:

Alan - I think the S means you had a spatlese trocken. I’ve had Keller labeled hubacker spatlese trocken from the early post-millennium, but if you’re bottle didn’t say hubacker or kirschpiel on the label then I don’t know where it’s from (although it seems like it should be one of those two). I always thought of the S trocken as intended to be a step below the corresponding GG, but that’s a good place from which to take a step below.

As for age-ability, I’m not ready to say that the GGs need 15 years given that, for the majority of his vineyards, no one has ever had a wine at age 15. A 2010 absterde tonight will go on for many more than 5 more years and with enough coaxing the nose is beginning to show the mystical phase now.

A

That’s an “argument” we’re happy to have with you anytime, Robert. Sounds like you have the strategy down. :wink:

I get your point that GGs as an official designation have only a limited history, but we’re now several vintages into the 15 year mark on a number of producers’ GGs, including several Keller vineyards. So, while most people probably haven’t had them, it’s definitely not no one. I’m very lucky to have had more than a few, thanks to my husband’s canning buying back in the day, and friends like Robert. As I said previously, they can be absolutely delicious younger, but those beyond 15 years have, for me, entered another gear, and have led us to put more into the deep reserve than we might have guessed.

Fair to say not every GG could age 15+, but as I had the luck to taste aged Rieslings like 1999 Bürklin-Wolf „Pechstein“ or 2004 Kirchenstück, 1999&2001 Breuer „Schlossberg“, 1990 &1996 Köhler-Ruprecht „Saumagen“ Auslese trocken R etc etc, it’s really a mind-blowing experience and you start putting bottles in the deepest corner of the cellar. Hopefully forget them for 15 years. haha

Also worth to mention several terrific aged Auslese trocken by J.B. Becker from Rheingau, but I forgot the vintages.

J.B. Becker, Bernd Philippi from K-R and Bernhard Breuer were the pioneers in the 90‘ for dry Riesling in Germany.

89 JB Becker Auslese Trocken is legendary. HanJo has said its his best wine.

My only point is that Keller has not had the majority of his GG vineyards for long enough to be able to try the wines at 15 years. Absterde, Morstein, Hipping, Pettenthal, schubertslay - all in his hands for less than 15 years. No one has had at that age. Who knows when the best time to drink those is. We can guess, but maybe the extra gear is at 20, or 30. Maybe it never comes. Worth holding some I think.
A

Anyone know the story with the RR?

A - I don’t believe Morstein goes on that list, and Abts E® just barely. I’ve had Keller Morstein back to 2002 and Abts E® 2006. Based on having had Morstein, Hubacker, Kirchspiel and GMax at 15 years or more, and Abts E® at age 14, I’d say there’s enough data to extrapolate with the other 3. They certainly could get even better at 25 or 30, but I’m pretty confident in my comment about hitting another gear at 15, even if it eventually proves there’s one beyond it.

YES, this 1989 Auslese trocken he served me at his estate. Magic Riesling.

Private wines of Bernd Philippi. I drank RR with him at his estate a few years ago, fasten-your-seatbelts.

Not that one!

This one:
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In 2013 I attended a G-Max vertical by the collector Michael Quentel in Hamburg. All G-Max ever produced were presented. Also Stephan Reinhardt/WA attended the tasting incl. KP Keller.

2004 G-Max was/is so far the best Dry Riesling I have ever drunken. AND it was still a baby.