Sammlerbox: Keller-Kiste »Von Den Grossen Lagen« 2014 in 12er Holzkiste

Lobenberg: Die »Keller-Kiste« ist so etwas wie der heilige Gral der Riesling-Fans. Unfassbar rar und begehrt. Einige Weine sind exklusiv, also nur in dieser Kiste erhältlich. Darunter auch der legendäre Kultriesling G-Max. Es ist also quasi das weiße Pendant zur DRC-Kiste. Die 2014er enthält folgende Weine: Je 1 Flasche Hubacker GG (13% vol.), Hipping H.M. (13% vol.), Pettenthal GG (13% vol.), Kirchspiel GG (13% vol.), AbtsE Auslese GK (8% vol.), je 2 Flaschen G-Max (13% vol.), AbtsE GG (13% vol.) und 3 Flaschen Morstein GG (13% vol.). Alle Weine sind Rieslinge aus dem Jahrgang 2014.

Parker: Hubacker: The 2014 Dalsheim Hubacker Riesling trocken Grosses Gewachs shows a clear, more open and fruity bouquet with just a hint of chalk and lemon flavors, compared to the other Grosses Gewächs wines. On the palate, this is a full-bodied, rich, very clear, elegant and quite concentrated Riesling with power, phenols and complexity; but it is less stimulating at the moment compared to the Kirchspiel. The finish is very aromatic in its grapey character, pure and salty. 91/100 (2015) Abts E Auslese: The 2014 Westhofener Abts Er de Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule shows a very intense and concentrated bouquet of precisely botrytised Riesling berries. The wine is richer and even more intense than the Morstein, but does not have a single Oechsle more than this. Concentrated, terribly sweet and piquant on the plate, this is a remarkably well structured Riesling with great intensity and tannin structure, thanks to several days of skin contact and the basket press that presses with much more DRUCK than a pneumaric press and thus extracts more tannins and freshness This is one of the greatest Ausleses I ever tasted in Rheinhessen and also in this avant-garde estate. This is simply great, not just in quality but also in style. Highly recommended. 97/100 (2015) G Max: 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. 96/100 (2024) Abts E: Kept for 40 hours on the skins, Keller's always very low-yielding 2014 Westhofener Brunnenhauschen Abtserde Riesling Grosses Gewachs is sharp and precise on the nose like a laser sword cutting through a chalky rock, leaving dust and grated lemon skins. Coming from a vineyard with high active chalk in the soil, this wine is medium to full-bodied, very pure, elegant, and full of energy and concentration; it is piquant, precise and provided with a straight, super long and tension-filled finish with stimulatingly juicy fruit in the persistent aftertaste. This is great dry Riesling from a difficult year, which was, however, not that difficult in the Abtserde (a special plot inside the Brunnenhäuschen). Due to regularly poor fruit sets (coulure), the grapes are never that compact; the grapes consist partly of extremely small and seedless berries, which might explain the intensity of Keller's Abtserde. Generally, this is a great advantage in misty autumns like in 2014, because the wind dries the berries quickly and keeps them healthy. I recommend to drink the Abtserde from Zalto's Burgundy glasses, which bring out the chalky/salty character even better than the Universal glass from which I tasted the wine. 95/100 (2015) Morstein: Keller's 2014 Morstein Riesling GG Alte Reben comes from old Sylvaner vines that were grafted with Rieslings in 2009. The wine has a very clear and deep, darker toned stony/flinty aroma than Kirchspiel or Abtserde and shows clear stone fruit aromas along with herbal flavors. There were probably more overripe (at least highly ripe) grapes than in the Abtserde since the bouquet reveals a high density and ripe fruit aromas. Powerful and intense on the palate this is a firmly structured, terroir-driven Riesling with a lot of concentration and juiciness but, perhaps, less precision and freshness than the Abtserde at this early stadium. Indeed Keller accepts more overripe berries than in former years and rates all his grand cru grapes by daily tastings. He does not pick them before they receive a top score. He points out that the 2014 Morstein has less alcohol than the corresponding Abtserde. One can say perhaps that the Morstein reflects more the old vines on colored clay soils on limestone whereas the Abtserde is a light-footed electric dancer on the knife's edge. 94+/100 (2015)

Suckling: G Max: A dreamy masterpiece for this very challenging vintage, with so many delicate floral nuances and citrus aromas (everything from lemon blossom to freshly grated zest). Medium-bodied with a very long, racy and pointed finish. Drink or hold. 97/100 (2024)