2015 Westhofener Brunnenhauschen Abtserde E. Trocken
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Tasting notes
As usual, on the nose this bottling displays a dazzling, almost dizzying array of floral, herbal and mineral elements suggesting an alliance of sea breeze with an expansive spring meadow. Vividly fresh, brightly juicy lime and white peach are lusciously deployed on a buoyant, silken-textured palate. This doesn’t wear its tiny-berried concentration on its sleeve in the manner of so many piquantly gripping and austerely stony Wonnegau Grosse Gewächse. Instead, lime seed and chalk are adeptly integrated into a vibrant, coolingly herb-tinged, persistently floral, mouthwateringly saline and consummately refreshing performance. With its uncanny combination of poise and energy, it’s as if this wine were saying, “Let others engage in heavy lifting, futilely attempting to keep up with me on the dance floor.” “After we picked out the shriveled berries for TBA,” noted Keller, “the rest was at around 91 or 92 Oechsle, so we could afford to let it hang a bit longer through the chilly October and ended up picking at 94 or 95 Oechsle.”
Critic scores
James Suckling
Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The odd name of this wine results from the fact that the authorities won\'t let Keller write "Abtserde", an old site name, on the label. This is the most complete and satisfying of Keller\'s high-end, dry rieslings with a nose of ripe pineapple and many subtle nuances. The combination of ripeness, power and balance is impressive, and the acidity is beautifully integrated. There\'s considerable mineral power on the finish without the wine becoming even slightly heavy. Still, not the very best wine Keller ever made.
The 2015 Westhofen Riesling Trocken GG Abts E (abbreviated as "Abts E" since Abtserde isn't an official vineyard name) opens very clear, pure, delicate and fresh, but also concentrated (with grapefruit flavors!) and very mineral on the nose. This is a picture-book Riesling from (very active) limestone soils, where the terroir dominates the variety, at least on the nose. On the palate, this is a rich and powerful, silky textured, juicy and yet still concentrated and tightly woven wine. It has great intensity and minerality of stones, rocks and salt. It needs a lot of time to receive the finesse and purity of the mind-blowing Morstein, though.
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.