2014 Keller, G-Max, Rheinhessen

Served blind as the 14th wine of the vertical and right after the 2013 vintage, Keller's 2014 Riesling G-Max opens with a clean, fine and rather classic nose with ripe, cooked and concentrated fruit aromas with phenolic spice. Slightly untamed and animal on the palate, this is a taut, fresh, persistently salty, straightforward and enormously mineral as well as elegant G-Max with great and complex length. This is more than just a remarkable Riesling for this difficult vintage when, after a warm summer, rainfalls caused a stop-and-go harvest in many German wine regions. Tasted at Steinheuer's Restaurant Zur Alten Post, Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, in January 2024.

Tasted blind. 2014 was another year which had plenty of challenges in store for German growers. It was a vintage in which in many vineyards the development of grape sugars rushed hastily ahead of physiological ripeness, but the G-Max seemingly miraculously managed to bridge the gap. Knowing Klaus Peter Keller, there is no such thing as a miracle, only meticulous care of the vines and perfect timing. The 2014 may not be quite as compact as some of its siblings, but it takes its strength from a precise definition of fruit, acidity and minerality. The fruit is fresh and cool with notes of lime and grapefruit, smoky nuances set a refined mineral accent. A taut body and sound yet never sharp acidity provide a firm structure that promises great ageing potential.