Keint He Winery & Vineyards

Weingut Keller

Abts E de Riesling 2017

One of the best evenings of wine I’ve had this year, and it was just focused on this duo. Opened as inspiration for this year’s red pick at Miao Lu (a name to remember for those reading. I’ll say it here first - some of the best Pinot’s and Chard’s in the world will be coming out of this project high up in Yunnan!), and they both gave great context to the task.

When I harvested with Klaus-Peter in 2017, the vineyards bore the scars of hail, every last one of them. The damage was manifest in what we came to call "hail berries" (misshapen berries). To my untrained palate, they tasted perfectly fine. Naturally, I asked KP why we were discarding them, and his response, while not entirely unexpected, was still astonishing (paraphrasing of course): "I don't need to know precisely what they do," he said, "but if there's even a chance they might diminish the wine by 1%, they're gone. And these? They look capable of much worse."

That unyielding spirit of his was, I must admit, my torment at Abtserde, the vineyard hit hardest by the hail. We spent an entire day sorting and picking a single row - granted, the rows were long, but the pace was glacial. The true enemy, though, wasn’t the relentless sorting, but the wasps. Those little demons made an already grueling task even more daunting, dodging their stings as we plucked berries one by one, like selecting pearls from a troubled sea. What we ended up with were, quite literally, tiny gems - "caviar" berries of purity. By day’s end, the sight was something to behold. Despite the torment, the hard work was unquestionably worth it. The 17’ Abtserde is my wine of the vintage.

I’ve had the 17’ Abtserde on numerous occasions but this takes the cake as the best (note to self: best to decant a young Abtserde hard). It is a marvel of purity and depth, with its nose evoking Meyer lemon, iodine, chalk, and flint. These aromas reappear on the palate with a nearly overwhelming intensity, blending piquant brightness and mineral-rich concentration. With more air, a floral, bittersweet herbal note very typical of the vineyard appears (smells like the place even). As the evening unfolded, the wine seemed to grow younger, each glass more lively than the last. The final sip was almost painfully austere, like drinking pure limestone, its explosive palate held together by sharp acidity and a palpable, phenolic grip. The finish seemed endless. One of my best Keller experiences this year.
— 8 months ago

Lyle, Andrew and 12 others liked this
Ira Schwartz

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@Aaron Tan A very enjoyable read.
Tom Casagrande

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Great story and note!

Venge Vineyards

Silencieux Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

Parker 95 back in 2014, so its a couple points better with some age on it. But I don’t see this lasting 20-25 years as he stated in his review, maybe 5 more years if stored properly. — 5 years ago

Bob, Clive and 29 others liked this
Somm David T

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I’ve never believed many 12’s would age as long as critically written about. Many lack the tannin structure to do so, which is also why many drank well younger than vintages like 13 and certainly some others.
Billy L.

Billy L.

@Paul T- Huntington Beach- Sounds like it’s time for the 2012 Harbison Pony Express! Cheers 🍇🍷👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻@David T
Somm David T

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The Harbison would be the exception to rule in this case.

Rivers-Marie

Panek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

We got to meet TRB during our visit. He was extremely friendly, welcoming, and engaging. Grapes were coming in throughout our time there. Super cool experience! — 8 months ago

Tom, Paul and 1 other liked this

Hubert Lamy

En Remilly Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Chardonnay

Lamy’s ‘14 a Criot Batard Montrachet is up there as wines of my life so I was very excited to share this bottle with Cerasulo. Started strong with his magic work he does in Saint Aubin. I was anticipating a emotional ride, but the wine evened out and the richness took over the reductive steeliness. Felt out of balance. Delicious, yes! But a walk in heaven. Not so much. — 2 years ago

Ely liked this
Dave Mayers

Dave Mayers

Like a warm loving lemonade hug - Cerasulo

Shafer Vineyards

TD-9 Napa Valley Red Blend 2017

Nice blend of Merlot, Malbec, and Cabernet. Google the tractor TD-9. Can’t believe he used that tractor. — 5 years ago

Jim Hadley
with Jim
Ron, Martin and 18 others liked this

He-Li-An-Thus

Napa Valley Red Blend

First wine of 2020 is a banger. Decanted while we watched Star Wars. Beautiful rich red color with red cherries and mushrooms on the nose. Nice tannins with a long finish. May the force be with you. — 5 years ago

Kim Stanbro
with Kim
Kim, Shay and 10 others liked this

Nicholson Jones

St. Helena Sauvignon Blanc 2016

One of my favorite small production wine, 300 cases. Cal Nicholson spent his youth in So. CA & after a long marketing career he hung up his spurs to follow his 2 real interests in life – surfing & wine making. Jones is the maiden name of Cal’s wife Pam. A wonderful wine. Aromas of lemon citrus with herb, stone & tropical fruits. Palate, peach, Granny Smith apple & ripe melon flavors with lively citrus zest wrapped in lbalanced acidity. Lingering finish ending with mineral citrus finish. Consistent! Nice! — 5 years ago

Shay, Paul and 1 other liked this
Eric

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I’m curious - is this Napa fruit?
Sipping Fine Wine

Sipping Fine Wine Influencer Badge

Yes, From the Crocker Vineyard in St Helena.

S.C. Pannell

McLaren Vale Tempranillo Touriga 2013

See previous notes on March 2020 and October 2020. This tasting was even better than those two tastings. At 10 years it is peaking. Sweet and savoury ripe plum and black cherry. So mellow, earthy and delicious. A brilliant wine from a brilliant winemaker. He certainly is the master of alternative varieties in this country - Steve Pannell. A lot like cool climate Shiraz and many would pick it as that in a blind tasting. A great match with Chicken Legs. — 2 years ago

Scott@Mister, Ira and 19 others liked this

Arbe Garbe

Sonoma County White Blend 2018

Wonderful. Remembering @Alec White each time we have one of these, as he introduced the wine to us. 🙏🍷 — 4 years ago

Eric, Severn and 6 others liked this
romo

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Missing Alec.

The Standish Wine Company

The Relic Shiraz Blend 2004

Somm David T
9.6

Happy Valentines Day!

If you have not looked for this wine on WineSearcher.com or other, you should. Dan Standish has no American Importer. However, you can mail order off his list. Good luck with the Australian/United States import costs. Very prohibited.

Most quality Barossa wines take 15 years in bottle to show their ultimate beauty. Dan’s wines are no different. His Estate vines are 100 years old and produce 500 pounds of fruit per acre...very concentrated. Contrast that to extremely expensive & high quality Napa fruit, those Napa producers are at 2,000-2,500 pounds per acre.

We visited Standish in April 2017. We found Dan to be extremely talented & definitely marches to his own drum. He is salt of the earth and has traveled & worked in many of the world wine regions honing his craft and landing as Torbreck’s Winemaker in Barossa before starting, “The Standish Wine Company.”

As good as the 04 is tonight, it has 15 years of good life ahead...properly stored of course.

The nose is very intoxicating. It is a nice blend of purple, black & blue fruits. Mulberries, olallieberries, boysenberries, black plums, plums, blackberries, dark cherries, deeply extracted raspberries, some baked strawberries, black licorice to anise, dark fruit cola, black olive skin, medium dark spice, black pepper, charcoal, graphite, dry tobacco & underbrush, some bay leaf, alluvial soils, grey volcanic minerals/limestone with fresh & only slightly withering, purple, dark, blue florals framed in violets & lavender.

The body is full, rich, ripe, lush and creamy on the palate after a two-hour plus decant. The structure, tension, length and balance are a little short of its peak and will hold there for 5-8 years. It’s a glorious glide on the palate. The fruits are ripe & lightly baked. Mulberries, olallieberries, boysenberries, black plums, plums, blackberries, dark cherries, deeply extracted raspberries, some baked strawberries, cherry kirsch, red & black licorice to anise, dark fruit cola, black olive skin, the dark spices are heavier on the palate & bring just the right amount of heat, sweet, dark tarriness, black pepper, used, dark expresso roast grounds, charcoal, graphite, dry tobacco & underbrush, some bay leaf, alluvial soils, grey volcanic minerals/limestone, moist clay, with fresh & only slightly withering, purple, dark, blue florals framed in violets & lavender. The acidity is round, flush & perfect. The long finish is a unique even balance of; lush fruits, spice, herbs and earth that persists on the palate for minutes.

Photo on the left of Sofia’s 2 dozen long stems. Love you so much!

@Oswald
— 5 years ago

Eric, P and 28 others liked this
Sofia Jalilie

Sofia Jalilie

Great compliment to the rib eye- lovely Valentine’s dinner with my one and only ❤️