2016 - Westhofener Brunnenhauschen Abtserde Riesling GG, Keller

Fresh lime and white peach, iris, thyme, chalk and marine minerals are all intimated on the nose, then reconvene on a silken, buoyant, generously juicy palate. Even more than usual, the wine displays an intricate – almost lacy – complexity of herbal, floral, fruit and mineral elements, as well as a clarity that surpasses that of its fellow Keller Grosse Gewächse, impressive though they all are. Yet for all of its buoyancy and refinement, the mouthwateringly salt-tinged, near-endless finish is intensely reverberative and blazingly bright, revealing the maximum energy conveyed by any of Keller’s other dry 2016s, and all the while offering consummate refreshment. “You can tell from a wine like this,” noted Keller, “how Abtserde is a site that supports residual sweetness, unlike Morstein.” And you can also tell that it’s magical – irrespective of residual sugar.