Riesling G-Max Trocken, Weingut Keller 2015

As I lamented to my good friend, Peter Ruhberg, who was sitting next to me (and has an advanced degree in Philosophy) that “I was already out of numbers”, he promptly replied that “there are numbers on either side of one hundred, which is after all, only one number out of an infinite range.” Well said Peter. The 2015 G-Max is equally stunning, offering up a fine nose of tangerine, pink grapefruit, chalky minerality, citrus peel, a touch of wild yeasts, a discreet dollop of petrol, lemongrass and a lovely topnote of spring flowers. On the palate the wine is pure, fullbodied and perhaps shows just a touch more intensity at the core than either the Morstein or the Abtserde, with perfect, seamless balance, blazing, ripe acids and stunning cut and grip on the endless and utterly beautiful finish. 2025-2075+.

The iconic 2015 Riesling G-Max offers a deep, clear, pure and intense bouquet of ripe seed, stone and a touch of tropical fruits that is perfectly intertwined with smoky crushed limestone, herbal and floral flavors. Dense, round, tight and vivacious on the palate, this is a very pure and mineral Riesling of great finesse and elegance. It is a dense and very complex, yet perfectly balanced, long and stimulatingly salty wine with an intense and persistent fruit core. A perfect blend of earlier and late harvested grapes that were slowly pressed with the basket press, like all of the crus and sweet wines at Keller.

A large-scaled, powerful vintage of G-Max which has amazing potential for the long haul. Tasted alongside cooler vintages, it’s more overtly fruity and sun-kissed at this early stage, and—in this context—it was showing more obvious puppy fat than when I last tasted it in September 2016, but it’s beautifully balanced and hugely concentrated. Forget it in the cellar for a decade.