2018 Weingut Keller Nierstein Hipping Riesling Grosses Gewachs
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Tasting notes
Once again, this bottling represents the mid-slope vines in Keller’s Hipping, fruit from those above and below having been directed to the corresponding Kabinett and (70% Hipping) Niersteiner cuvée. Musky, bittersweet, iris-like perfume haunts the nose, accompanied by scents of white peach, lemon and orange, as well as smoky and crushed stone notes. The firm, full but by no means heavy palate delivers tang and piquancy of peach close to the core, a pronounced sense of mineral suffusion, zesty citricity and inner-mouth persistence of floral perfume. Bite of mustard seed and pungency of green tea add further invigoration and complexity to a vibrantly sustained finish strikingly strong on stony, smoky and alkaline notes, but unfailing in its duty to refresh. From his prime parcels in Hipping and Pettenthal, Keller is turning out the most memorable Nierstein Rieslings since the many glorious pre-1980 decades of Franz Karl Schmitt’s eponymous estate, from which Keller acquired them.
Critic scores
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Cask sample. Basket-pressed. Very pale gold. Both ripe-fruited and lightly smoky/mineral on the nose. Spicy too. Citrus and apricot. Still showing quite strong herbal character on the palate from the combination of site, variety and spontaneous fermentation. But there’s also grapefruit tension and precision on the palate, drawing in after the richness of the aroma. Deep, generous but edgy with freshness and energy. Creamy persistent finish. Wonderful balance between the caress of the texture and the taut citrus freshness of the finest Riesling fruit. (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.