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Weingut Keller, Riesling Trocken Westhofen Abts Erde Trocken, 2008

White Wine from Rheinhessen, Germany
$400.00
Use code 10OFF to get 10% off 12+ bottles
This is a mature dry Riesling from Klaus Peter Keller. It comes from Abtserde, the quiet one in his lineup and the one that most rewards waiting. Abtserde is a south-facing slope of limestone and clay just above Keller's Morstein vineyard in Westhofen, and it once belonged to the monks of Fulda Abbey. Like Kirchspiel, Hubacker and Morstein, it was a famous old vineyard that had been all but abandoned until Keller's work turned it into holy ground for Riesling. Keller's dry Rieslings come from limestone-dominated soils, and critics have compared them to the great Grands Crus of Burgundy. We've always found Abtserde less showy than Morstein or Hubacker but often more refined, with quiet power and a long, tightly wound finish. That's exactly the kind of wine you want to meet after time in bottle. This 2008 has had well over fifteen years of it, which is far more patience than most people ever give a young Keller. If you're a Riesling lover curious about what great German dry Riesling turns into with age, this is the bottle to try.

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Antonio Galloni

95 points

"Captivating aromas of nectarine, nut oil and lemon zest. The succulent apricot fruit and textural richness are kept vibrant by a salty minerality that lingers tantalizingly on the finish. With perfect clarity and impressive intensity, this is a show-stopper. One of the two or three finest dry rieslings of the vintage!" —Joel B. Payne

Robert Parker

95 points

"Keller’s 2008 Westhofener Abtserde Riesling Grosses Gewächs -- for considerable detail on whose terroir and history, consult my report in issue 185 -- smells mysteriously musky in its evocation of narcissus, orchids, nut oils, and white truffle, which are accompanied by more predictable -- even prosaic -- but nonetheless lovely scents of pit fruits and citrus. Succulent, creamy, richly nutty and pit-fruited on the palate, it is saturated with the sort of diverse and in part ineffable intimations of things mineral as were encountered in the Hubacker. At the same time, there are tension and a sense of interplay as well as a sheer juicy generosity here reminiscent of the Kirchspiel. The finish is not only lusciously loaded with ripe white peach and piquant cardamom, white pepper, toasted almond, and lemon zest, but also as lip-smackingly saline as you are likely to encounter in any Riesling. Here is a union of intensity and elegance that I predict will stand the test of 12-15 years in bottle. Keller refers to the pristine transparency of a great Mosel Kabinett as 'like glacial water,' and the same metaphor occurred to me in swallowing my first sip of 2008 Abtserde and of a very long day." —David Schildknecht

Jancis Robinson

18.5 points

"Nettles, elderflower and fennel make this quite a green affair; on the palate this is definitely an earthier style with some green elements, less opulence and a slightly bitter pith element on the finish; a different style with more herbaceous tendencies, but before anybody thinks I did not like this, it is the most elegant of the Keller Grosse Gewächse."

More about Weingut Keller

Klaus Peter Keller runs Rheinhessen's greatest address, and his dry Rieslings are so crystalline and deep that Jancis Robinson calls them the Montrachets of Germany. Seventy percent of his vineyard is classified Grosses Gewächs, and every bottling proves the point: this is German wine at its most majestic.

Wine Details

  • Grape Variety

    Riesling

  • Vintage

    2008

  • Size

    750ml

  • Farming Practice

    Organic

  • Style

    Crisp

  • Sweetness

    Dry

  • Body

    Medium Bodied

Flatiron's Take

From the Importer

Tasting Notes & Food Pairings

Perfect Pairings

Trout meunière with brown butter; roast pork loin with apples and sage; Alsatian choucroute garnie; pan-seared scallops; aged Comté or Gruyère.

Tasting Profile

Expect the classic profile of a mature dry Riesling from limestone: citrus, yellow apple and stone fruit giving way to honeyed, toasty and petrol-tinged notes with bottle age. Typically medium-bodied and fully dry, with taut acidity and a chalky, saline minerality, it finishes long and tightly wound. Think the restraint of a top Chablis rather than an opulent white.

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WINE GUIDES

German Wines

Is there a better grape than Riesling? Is there a better value? Its fruit purity, its perfume, and its mineral nuance are all unparalleled. And for centuries, the top German Rieslings were priced accordingly: at least as expensive as the top red wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy. But nowadays you could spend a lifetime exploring Germany’s great Riesling-producing regions while staying well within your budget. You might take an occasional break to try Germany’s other white grapes or perhaps a glass of Spätburgunder (the local name for Pinot Noir). It’s time to get started!

Learn more about German Wines