Keller G Max 2010

Parker: If anything, even more headily floral than its Abtserde sibling, Keller’s 2010 Riesling trocken G-Max evokes iris and peony along with intimations of ocean breeze and scents of ripe quince and peach. Here the strong mineral dimension is not only mouthwateringly saline but scallop-like in a savory, faintly sweet and iodine-tinged way that segues directly into custardy richness of white peach, quince paste and nut oils that engulf the palate and (as I see I already wrote about the 2009) you along with it. There is a serenity and soothing irresistibility to the finish that – like its almost opaque sense of density and richness – sharply distinguishes this from the transparency and kinetics of the Abtserde. What a treat it will be for those who can manage to follow this wine from bottle – hard enough to purchase in any year, let alone one where yields for this particular picking dropped to twelve hectoliters per hectare! – in parallel with its immediate siblings from bottle. I suspect there is at least a decade of profound pleasure here, but as one notices particularly in the case of G-Max, Keller has traveled such a distance stylistically and refined his game to such an extent that one ought not to take his Grosse Gewachse of 8-10 years ago as an indication of what lies in store for those of recent vintages.