2018 Schubertslay Riesling Trocken, Alte Reben, Grosses Gewachs, Weingut Keller

While the presentation label states merely “Schubertslay Alte Reben,” Keller markets this as “Grosses Gewächs.” It is the sole vintage 2018 Schubertslay bottling that represented sufficient volume to have been fermented and raised in cask (a tiny supplemental portion stayed in stainless steel), and was bottled in August 2019 along with Keller’s Rheinhessen Grosse Gewächse. Intensely pungent grapefruit and orange zests, sage, wormwood, nettle and smoky black tea are joined on the glossy, firm palate by piquant huckleberry and tangy pineapple core. The effect is immediately bracing and, at just 12% alcohol, not in the least heavy. Stony, alkaline and mouthwateringly saline traces accumulate almost implacably on a finish of gripping intensity and exhilarating invigoration that does not forget its duty to refresh. ~ (94) David Schildknecht, Vinous 11-1-2020

Cask sample. Own-rooted centenarian vines. Harvested early October and basket-pressed. Fermented in an old Halbstück cask (600 litres) and currently in tank on the lees. Will be on lees until bottling in July. Total production c 700 bottles.Incredible intensity of ripe but sour citrus, green fruits, and even a note of dried grasses, just slightly smoky too – mineral in a rich, almost oily way rather than the dusty minerality of crushed rocks. Already so complex: a hint of clementine and spice. Multi-layered in aroma. In the mouth, the orange notes are dominant at first but give way to wild herbal depths, dried grasses and the purest of fresh, ripe acidity. There’s richness too, a fullness and weight in the mouth yet balanced by the intense freshness. Then full circle to the sour-fruited intensity on the finish, which goes on for ever. The wine has a defiance about it, a wild extremity of site and vine age, and yet also profound and apparently effortless beauty, even though the tending of the vines and the harvest is far from effortless. A defiance, a refusal to conform or bend to the winemaker. Going back to this, there is a greater delicacy than I noted at first. And the greatest persistence of the three Schubertslay wines. ~ (19) Julia Harding, JancisRobinson.com 3-16-2019