Authentic originality is as rare a property of wine as it is individual persons. ‘Greatness’ is easier to discuss so is discussed oftener but greatness seems merely a coded way of approaching originality. Wines that truly move us necessarily possess something beyond desirable qualities. Complexity and emotional resonance are distincts.
I confess to being moved less often by Riesling than many others. My mind likes the wines more than my heart and even the grape's most dramatic and long-lived wines tend to leave me chilly. Keller’s Rieslings at their best bridge this emotional space and manage this bridging through a complex originality. What would the Rheinhessen be without its Keller? The wines reveal a great many things about the region that would have remained hidden had Klaus-Peter not revealed them to us.
If refreshing is helpful, ‘Abts Erde’ is the historical name of a portion of the Brunnenhäuschen vineyard in the village of Westhofen. This is a distinct terroir that produces a unique expression, thus the separate bottling.
Cheers,
Jason
