2019 Westhofener Morstein Grosses Gewachs
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Tasting notes
This latest installment is at least as strikingly and uncannily whole-oyster-like its vintage 2020 successor tasted alongside. Savory meatiness, rich nuttiness, pronounced chalkiness, alkalinity and salinity are signaled already in the nose. These notes are accompanied by intimations of the zesty, bright, juicy lemon and grapefruit that enliven a satiny palate. A combined impression of implosive density yet surprising buoyancy adds to the intrigue on display here. The finish is vibrant and terrifically sustained, giving tonsils and salivary glands a real workout. What a future this will have!
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Keller's 2019 Morstein Riesling GG Alte Reben is one of the finest dry Rieslings of the vintage. From 75-year-old vines and aged in a 1,000-liter oak vat, this iconic Morstein opens with a very clear, lemony and chalky bouquet along with floral notes and perfectly ripe and concentrated yet still coolish fruit aromas. Full of finesse, mineral vitality and tension, this is a very intense and complex Riesling that develops spectacular length, which is carried onward by a fascinating, razor-sharp and steely, iron-coin, crystalline acidity. After a while in the glass, the wine sheds notes of orange blossoms and Muscat, along with honey flavors and Mediterranean herbal aromas. The yeasty layers are so delicate, like if this were Champagne. The finish is endless. What a noble dry Riesling!
A fresh and exhilarating expression of herbal and vegetal aromas not only declares the use of spontaneous fermentation, but also successfully avoids its main flaw of medicinal pungency. On the palate minerality takes charge with compact and cool earthy and stony notes. The mineral impact is tastefully buffered by juicy fruit, but riveting acidity keeps the taste buds on their toes. Has plenty of edge without being aggressive. Long term. (MS)
Blue clay under the limestone. Some fermented in barrique. All the 2019 Riesling Grosse Gewächse will stay on their lees until July. Cask sample. Tasted blind. Rich and smoky on the nose, with a light fumy, herbal character of spontaneous fermentation and some spicy breadth. A little bit reductive in that sponti aroma. Some sour green fruits on the nose. On the palate, deep and spicy. Firm, long and almost savoury in its spice, has a certain 'darkness'. Even with this spice and complexity there’s tension and directness that takes it to a super-long finish. Rocky, as if there were granite here though of course there isn’t but it is that rocky association. This has a darker, more savoury character than you would get from Abts E. Dense but super-fresh. (JH)
About the producer
Based in the Rheinhessen, Keller is one of the finest Riesling producers in the world, and has set the benchmark for German Pinot Noir.