2011 - Niersteiner Pettenthal Riesling Auslese, Keller

Picked in accord with a similar principle to the corresponding Abtserde and B.A., Keller’s 2011 Niersteiner Pettenthal Riesling Auslese is informed largely by tiny, transparent, super-ripe and in many instances pipless berries (and like the aforementioned, was auction-bound). It started life as two wines picked the same day, one dubbed Spatlese and the other Auslese. Eventually, Keller determined that a marriage, as he put it “was even more exciting and distinctive than either wine on its own. Thus were joined together what truly belonged together: to my mind perhaps the best Auslese we’ve bottled, less sweet than all of our other Auslesen but with mineral depth and a real fairy’s dance (Elfenreigen) on the tongue. If we’re going to have a renaissance of Riesling Auslese, then we have to have wines that are fun to drink, lively and juicy, not heavy.” This wine is everything he just said! Kumquat, tangerine, grapefruit and Rainier cherry seductively scent and lusciously, expansively coat the palate from this oily, liqueur-like yet buoyant and refreshing elixir. Smoke, citrus zest, brown spices and crushed stone impingement lend vibrant, invigorating piquancy by way of counterpoint to the richness of fruit, and this finishes with truly amazing penetration and persistence that will leave you licking your lips, and perhaps even wiping a tear from your eye. Those with the great good fortune to own any of this should plan to spread the pleasure of its company over at least three decades, even if that makes more than one generation responsible for patiently cellaring! Cool nights from mid-summer on – but especially in October – played into and seemed to confirm Keller’s strategy of depending on low temperatures to truly release the aromatic potential of Riesling grapes (though he is the first to admit that he hasn’t a notion of why this is so). “It’s critical that you wait for Riesling until you can get into that period” of chilly weather, he opines, “and this year the

The Pettenthal vineyard is one of KP Keller’s latest acquisitions. On the nose the Auslese from this Nierstein site may not be quite as pronounced as some of its stable mates, but the combination of clean botrytis and gentle tropical aromas including passion fruit and papaya is equally tantalising. On the palate this exotic notion is perfectly balanced by a truly fresh and juicy expression that combines lively acidity and zesty orange peel. Racy and elegant Auslese with enough charm to keep you captivated for decades. (MS)