Today’s wine will confound and amaze you. The first thing to know about it is that it is not, despite its half-bottle (375ml) package, a “dessert” wine. Yes, you could drink it with dessert, but there are so many savory applications for this incredible Auslese Riesling I’m not inclined to wait until the end of the meal to drink it.
Despite its immense concentration—which prompted acclaimed winemaker Klaus-Peter Keller to place a
goldkapsel*** (gold capsule 3 star) on the bottle to signify its exceptional quality—today’s succulent 2007 is only marginally sweet. The amount of residual sugar you perceive is in keeping with what we’d expect from an
auslese-designated Riesling, but the sheer density of the wine is on another (i.e. higher) level. Keller is the leading producer in Germany’s Rheinhessen region and one of the most celebrated vintners in all of Germany, known for being a meticulous viticulturist first and foremost. After more than a decade of age, this ’07 is like a just-opened flower, with a long way still to go before it starts to wilt. For all the nomenclature on its label, it defies classification—in the best way possible. If you’re a German Riesling hound, it’s an absolute must-have!
The Keller property, which Klaus-Peter Keller and his wife, Julia (also a winemaker), took over in 2001, is situated a little west of the Rhine in the town of Flörsheim-Dalsheim. The soils in this area, which is known as the Hügelland, are quite different from those found closer to the Rhine: Whereas Rhine-adjacent towns such as Nierstein and Oppenheim have a more reddish hue and contain more loess (wind-blown silt), sand, and loam, Flörsheim-Dalsheim sits on an outcropping of limestone marl quite similar that of Burgundy. Among the Keller family’s assorted vineyard holdings in the region, their four-hectare piece of the “Hubacker” vineyard in Dalsheim, is their most prized site. Classified as grosses gewächs (“grand cru”), it has been in the Keller family since the 18th century and sits on the upper slope, with a southeasterly aspect. Wine writer John Gilman, in his “View From The Cellar” newsletter, described Hubacker as “the slowest-ripening vineyard in the Keller portfolio.”
Perhaps that’s how today’s wine, which was fermented and aged in old oak vats called fuder, managed to achieve such astounding ripeness and concentration while still maintaining an electric charge of freshness. This is a real “wow” wine: palate-coating yet refreshing; dense and weighty yet just 7.5% alcohol; richly fruited and sweet yet profoundly earthy. At 10+ years of age it’s displaying an amber-orange shimmer in the glass, with explosive aromas of ripe nectarine, bruised yellow peach, candied citrus peel, honeysuckle, dried herbs and flowers, chopped hazelnuts, and petrol. It is surely at the full-bodied and viscous end of the
auslese scale but leaves less residual sugar behind than you might expect: the sweetness is perfectly modulated. If you were to pair it with a dessert, choose something that isn’t sticky-sweet so the wine can shine, but otherwise don’t be shy about pairing it with savory dishes: aged hard cheese would be good, as would Indian dishes incorporating a little bit of heat. I think this Dalsheimer Hubacker Auslese would be lights-out delicious with chicken “tikka masala.” A game-changer!
