Shay A

9.2

Any time I open a Riesling or GV from a reputable producer, I wonder why I don’t open them more often.

Great vintage, great Austrian producer.

I really enjoy the differences between Alsatian Rieslings, German Rieslings and Austrian Rieslings, the latter normally being a bit more textural/full-bodied (and higher in ABV at 13%, compared to the typical 8-10% range of the others). Pale yellow in the glass. White peach and a sweet lemon/lemongrass type of aromatic. Ripe stone fruits (more peach but also apricot) and minerals/slate alongside a spine of acidity that isn’t sharp, but balanced. Tasty. — 12 hours ago

Andrew McIntyre

9.3

Great wine from a great vintage. Will improve with more age but already excellent — 4 months ago

Chris MacLean

9.1

Terrific wine for the money — a month ago

with Sarah

Jeremy Shanker

Sommelier at RN74

9.3

Still a baby — 2 months ago

Tyler Felous

9.0

Tons of petrol and match stick off the bat. Residual sugar was a bit much for me, but I’m sure special with the right food — 3 months ago

Jeremy Shanker

Sommelier at RN74

9.0

Limey, crisp and delicious. — 4 months ago

Alex

9.2

Smooth, fruity middle, light mineral finish - very good — a month ago

Iwan

9.3

Layers upon layers. Cherries, tar, smoke. Both masculine and light on its feet. Excellent stuff. — a month ago

Sam Friedland

9.0

Dry, acidic , went well with Thai food — 3 months ago

Aaron Tan

9.9

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. — 4 months ago