Weingut Keller, run by Klaus Peter and Julia Keller in Flörsheim-Dalsheim, is widely held to be Germany's greatest Riesling estate and one of the most sought-after white-wine producers in the world. The wines are crystalline, precise and built to age, and they have turned a once-overlooked corner of Rheinhessen into holy ground for dry Riesling.
The estate and its limestone vineyards
Klaus Peter is the ninth generation of his family here, and since taking the reins in 2001 he has resurrected a run of great sites in the Wonnegau. The benchmark Grosses Gewächs comes from limestone slopes around Westhofen: Morstein, Kirchspiel and Abtserde, each a different reading of the same stony ground. Closer to home lies the Hubacker, the estate's monopole in Dalsheim, marked by a small tower built from the rock beneath the vines. These rank among the most admired and most expensive dry wines in Germany, and they have done as much as anything to put Rheinhessen back on the map.
Style, and the wines to look for
Keller's dry Riesling is all about tension: citrus, green apple and white peach over a deep seam of crushed stone, held by an acidity that lets the finest bottles develop for decades. Above the Grosses Gewächs sits G-Max, a tiny-production, near-mythical Riesling drawn from Klaus Peter's favourite old-vine parcels and now one of the rarest wines anywhere. There is fine Spätburgunder too, elegant and Burgundian in feel. If the style appeals, it is worth exploring the rest of our white wine range.
Weingut Keller FAQ
Why is Weingut Keller so famous?
Under Klaus Peter Keller the estate became the reference point for dry German Riesling. Its Grosses Gewächs and the rare G-Max fetch some of the highest prices in the country and tend to sell out on release.
What does Keller Riesling taste like?
Expect a bone-dry, mineral style: bright citrus and orchard fruit, a stony, saline core and firm acidity. The wines feel precise rather than heavy, and they gain honeyed complexity with age.
Should I drink it now or cellar it?
The village and Von der Fels bottlings drink beautifully young. The Grosses Gewächs and G-Max reward patience and can improve for well over a decade, so it pays to buy extra and wait.