Galloni über:
Sammlerbox: Keller-Kiste »Von Den Grossen Lagen«
-- Galloni: 2021 Kirchspiel GG: The aromas here are enticing and boldly projected: iris, moss, basil and pit-inflected white peach. On the palate, there is gum-coating concentration and a satiny, rich texture, but at the same time, there's bright animation thanks to the tangy freshness of white peach, now enhanced by lime. There’s also a paradoxical perception of density (what Keller would term “inner density”) allied to levity. Pepper and chalk dust add to the mouth-shaking vibrancy of the finish, but without overshadowing the wine’s richness of fruit or the somehow cooling aspect of herbs and bittersweet floral perfume. I don’t believe I’ve tasted a more alluring edition of Kirchspiel, and this one’s definitely more open and expressive today than Keller’s other chalk-informed Grosse Gewächse of this vintage. 95/100 *** 2021 Oberer Hubacker GG: Pear and apple notes on both the nose and palate are laced with marjoram and sage and are strongly marked by their pits, making for a very forceful, pungent and piquant presentation with a smoky aura. Along with those aforementioned aromas and flavors, a vivid sense of stoniness prevails, which, taken together with an almost implosive impression of density-without-weight, leads one to think of this wine as tightly-coiled and embryonic. The gripping, nearly implacable finish reinforces that impression with its combination of biting intensity and almost severe stoniness. The source, just as in previous vintages, is the family’s old vines in the Hubacker Einzellage. But in 2021, Keller registered the cadastral designation “Oberer Hubacker” that was used on estate labels before being stricken from the official vineyard register in 1971, and which refers to a ten acre family monopole (as is now also indicated on the label).93/100 *** 2021 Abts E GG: Bittersweet floral and herbal elements, typical for this bottling, surge from the glass. Lavender, thyme, wormwood, licorice, iris and gentian are expressed as if from a distillate. Along with these come intimations of the white peach and grapefruit – strongly marked by their pits and pips – that then explode in the mouth. As with the other Keller Grosse Gewächse of this vintage, the sense of sheer density conveyed is formidable, but the mid-palate impression is more expansive, and the overall effect is more expressive at this youthful stage than in the Hubacker or Morstein. Textural richness counteracts what might otherwise have been the austere and severe effects of strongly, near-bitter piquancy and underlying chalkiness. Freshly ground coriander seed and black pepper add further stimulation, and chalky impressions ground a penetrating and vibrantly bright finish entirely reflective of this wine’s intense aromas, and one that leaves gums, cheeks and tongue tingling. 96/100 *** 2021 G-Max: With basil, gentian, juniper berry, coriander seed, white peach and lime, this is another Keller Riesling of its vintage whose ravishing aromatic display is distillate-like in its forcefulness and high-toned aura. The feel is flatteringly glossy, and the inner-mouth impression of implosive density as well as underlying stoniness prove entirely compatible with a sense of buoyancy and refreshingly bright, sheer juiciness. The mouth-shaking finish displays striking transparency to a kaleidoscopic array of herbal, floral, fruity and mineral elements. (As with the Hipping Grosses Gewächs in this collection, I feel it necessary to point out why I don’t quantify a “drinking window” that begins in some as yet far-off year. If you could just abstract from the near-impossibility of securing for yourself a single bottle of this wine, then you would feel no compunction after pulling the cork today, as the experience would be enormously gratifying and exciting.) 97/100 *** 2021 Morstein GG : The bittersweet perfume suggestive of iris and buddleia is utterly alluring – and of a sort that reminds me of Keller’s Grosses Gewächs from neighboring Abtserde. Along with those notes come pungent green herbal scents as well as striking marine mineral elements, at once enticingly, bracingly saline but also chalky and lightly iodine-like. The inner-mouth concentration of herbal, floral and mineral elements is implosive and allied to a vibrant sense of energy projected by zesty lime. The finish is almost severe in its penetrance, leaving one’s gums tingling, almost smarting, and saturated with flavor. Talk about a wine that needs time! 94/100 *** 20212 Hipping GG: Rowan, iris, basil, mint, apple and white peach combine for an irresistibly enticing aromatic display, high-toned and penetrating as if from a distillate. The inner-mouth impression is glossy, liqueur-like in its sense of herbal, floral and fruit concentration, with coriander seed and orange rind contributing to a gin-like impression. The finish projects an almost electric vibrancy as well as a smoky aura to accompany its reverberating reprise of the flavors that went before. This vividly illustrates Keller’s ideal of a dry Riesling whose remarkable sheer intensity and “inner density” is nevertheless unincumbered by weight – quite the contrary – and entirely consistent with a projection of nuanced complexity. As it takes on air, the wine becomes that much more expressive, suggesting the thrills that await with further bottle age. (Though I certainly couldn’t reconcile its irresistibility today with a “drinking window” that doesn’t begin for years. It’s only circumstances extrinsic to the wine itself – like the effort you will have gone to if you manage to secure even one bottle! – that will no doubt leave you determined to cellar it.) 97/100
