2018 Piesport SCHUBERTSLAY Riesling Alte Reben Grosses Gewächs Q.b.A. trocken Klaus Peter Keller, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer

Vinous - 2018 Piesport SCHUBERTSLAY Riesling Alte Reben Grosses Gewächs Q.b.A. trocken, Klaus Peter 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. - David Schildknecht, Nov. 2020