| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | Germany > Rheinhessen |
| Colour | White |
| Type | Still |
From an old 0.67-hectare plot with high-density plantings and a low canopy wall, the 2015 Westhofen Morstein Riesling Trocken GG Alte Reben was picked in later October with 92/93° Oechsle and fermented fully dry. It intertwines intensity and power with purity, finesse and freshness like no other wine from Keller in 2015. Clear, pure, fine, fresh and smoky on the nose, with a coolish and unrivaled precise character, this highly elegant wine has great complexity. This is a finessed and singing Riesling with great old-vine intensity. It also has the purity and transparency of a fascinating terroir Riesling from limestone. The wine has that ripeness, intensity, power and concentration of 2015, but there is so much lightness, freshness, silkiness and grip here, too. The acidity is very fine, but vital, and the texture is silky. The grippy finish is full of tension, piquancy and salinity. It's virtually endless in its weightless intensity. This is a benchmark Riesling for 2015 and the most serious rival of the 2015 Forster Pechstein from Reichsrat von Buhl. "We halved the Morstein quantity since 2011 (5,000 bottles) for the GG, because we harvest only the oldest vines now," says Keller, referring to the 70-year-old plot. Keller's 2015 Morstein Riesling GG is the most finessed that I have ever tasted from this domaine. Châpeau!
The 2015 Morstein seems to exude just a bit more inherent complexity than any of the grand crus that have preceded it in the lineup thus far, as well as a more reserved personality that demands a bit more bottle age before it will start to really blossom and hit on all cylinders. The bouquet is utterly refined, wafting from the glass in a precise blend of pink grapefruit, tart orange, crystalline, limestone minerality, a touch of petrol, citrus peel, lemongrass, orange blossoms and just a whisper of the vintage’s exotic herbal complications in the far reaches of the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and still quite tightly-knit, with a rock solid core, racy, ripe acids and stunning precision on the very, very long, very pure and utterly magical finish. The Morstein vineyard is one of my favorite in all of Germany and the 2015 Keller GG may well be the most hauntingly beautiful expression of this great terroir that I have ever had the pleasure to taste. This wine is perfect, but we will leave a bit of space at the upper end of the range, so it can grow into adulthood without the weight of undue expectations! 2027-2075.
