Click here for the 2010 Kellers.

So I started out with every intention of writing the piece on Keller to end all pieces on Keller.

Truth be told, I had spent quite a few days writing. I’d even bothered Klaus-Peter Keller with a bunch of questions (and, of all the nerve, while he was harvesting his Pinot Noir). It was going ok I’d say – not A+ but solid B. Then Joe reminded me that John Gilman had written a piece on Weingut Keller last year in his newsletter View from the Cellar. I had totally forgotten.

I think I was on page five by the time I realized this was the piece on Keller to end all pieces on Keller and I was wasting my damn time.

Philipp Wittmann took the helm of his family's estate in 1999 and it is without a doubt one of the most impressive estates in the Rheinhessen. Strangely, while Wittmann has a monster reputation in Germany, they are all but unknown in America. They are, like Klaus-Peter Keller, dry Riesling specialists - 90% of their production, in fact, is dry Riesling. Here Philipp Wittmann stands in one of the cellars of the estate. As you can tell, old wooden casks are used widely.

Kirchspiel vs. Kirchspiel
2009 Keller Riesling Kirchspiel RR
2009 Keller Riesling Kirchspiel GG

Let the fun begin.

It's Friday, so we'll cut to the chase: With the 2009 vintage, I think Klaus-Peter Keller has assembled his greatest collection to date. The wines are both monumental and refined and the whole ironic part of all of this is that Keller is doing everything possible to do less. (See my vintage report for more on this 2009 "less is more" phenomenon at Keller.)

The "Other" Kirchspiel
2009 Keller Riesling Kirchspiel "RR"
One Single Parcel for the U.S.

I had always wanted to taste this bottling.

It's a curious wine, sourced from a unique, red-soil parcel within the Kirchspiel Vineyard; a tiny island of color surrounded by the pure yellow limestone that makes up the rest of the Kirchspiel (and from which the GG is sourced).

John Gilman has written very positive things about this wine and while none ever made it to the U.S., I had been frustrated year after year in my attempts to taste it at the estate.

The $30 Cult Wine from Klaus-Peter Keller
2009 Keller Riesling "Von der Fels"
JUST ARRIVED - One Parcel Only!

This is the one and only parcel we'll be getting.

All this to say act sooner rather than later!

We started fielding calls and emails for Klaus-Peter Keller's wines in March and it's only gotten more intense. We expect this small tranche to disappear quickly.

The $30 Cult Wine from Keller...
(And a Surprise - RARE!)
2010 Riesling Von der Fels & 2010 Scheurebe Spätlese

"One of the finest vintages of 'von der Fels' that I can recall tasting." -John Gilman, View from the Cellar

The "von der Fels" is Keller's quiet cult dry Riesling.

There simply isn't a better dry Riesling value in the Keller arsenal. But be warned: The 2010 is going to make a very short appearance on the U.S. market - quantities are way down and due to the added juice from some old-vines in the Morstein vineyard, there has never been a better "von der Fels."

In 2010, the wine has reached a new level. In my opinion, it is the greatest Hubacker KP has made.  The complexity of the vintage - with extreme ripeness and extreme acidities - seems to have played right into the strengths of Hubacker.

Kirchspiel at a Tender Four Years of Age
2006 Keller Westhofener Kirchspiel GG
Small Back-Vintage Tranche - Near-Release Pricing

In a short, short time the "Grand Cru" dry Rieslings of Klaus-Peter Keller have become among the most coveted dry Rieslings in Germany.

It's been absolutely incredible to watch, to experience.

At this point, it's hard to keep these wines in stock for any duration - we are, in fact, already fielding regular inquiries for the not-yet-released 2009s!

So today, amidst our German Futures Campaign, we go the opposite direction, taking a quick glance back over our shoulders into the not-so-distant past with a small parcel of Keller's 2006 Kirchspiel GG.

The "Other" Kirchspiel
2010 Keller Riesling Kirchspiel "RR"
A Single Parcel Sourced from a .33-Hectare Site

"If you have access to the 2010 RR, do not miss it!" - John Gilman, View from the Cellar

Well, here is your access - at the lowest and only price in the nation we might add.

This is a wine we brought in last year and it's taken on a bit of a life of its own. As it should - this really is one of the more unique bottles in the Keller arsenal.