rheinhessen riesling auslese westhofener kirchspiel weingut keller 2006
ByWhen Geisenheim-trained Klaus-Peter Keller and his wife Julia, a protegée of Hans-Günther Schwarz, took over operations at the Keller estate in 2001, they had an additional advantage: the solid foundation established by his father.
Klaus Keller’s improbably excellent wines first attracted international attention in the early 1980s, despite coming from a “backwoods” area of the Rheinhessen that is best known for Liebfraumilch.
Since then, the estate has received so many national and international awards, that it is always included in any list of the greatest wine estates in Germany.
The Kellers farm 3.5 hectares in the Westhovener Kirchspiel, a very great vineyard of deep, hard limestone that expresses firm minerality even in a wine with as much sweetness as this powerful Riesling Auslese.
Though best known as a producer of some of the finest dry Rieslings in the world, including the Großes Gewächs from the upper slope of this vineyard, Klaus Peter Keller’s noble sweet wines have few peers in all of Germany.
Regional History
Viticulture in Germany is mentioned by the Stoic philosopher Posidonius of Rhodes (135-51 BC), who wrote, “…the [Germans] drink a lot of undiluted wine…” It’s known that the Romans first planted many of Germany’s finest vineyard sites.
With the rise of the early Christian church, the vine had been intimately intertwined with religious and secular history. Charlemagne supported winemaking directly with vine planting projects and indirectly, by his support and encouragement of monastic orders.
By the late 18th century, it was the Church who was responsible for quality controls such as laws against the adulteration of wines, replacement of lesser-known varietals with the noble Riesling grape, and the custom of distinguishing certain vineyard sites as being superior.
Rhinehessia once formed part of the French Republic in 1797-1816, but today, it is part of the Federal Republic, the “Rheinland-Pfalz,” the largest wine-growing state of Western Germany.
In the rain shadow of the Donnenberg (the highest peak in the Nordpfälzer Bergland, the small village of Dalsheimer is home to the Hubacker, Sauloch and Steig vineyards, recognized as among the best sites in Germany.
Regional Foods
The lighter German wines are excellent with classic regional dishes such as wiener schnitzel, spaetzle (noodles) in butter or delicate cream sauce & kudlen (dumplings).
The heavier Spätlese & dry or off-dry Auslese wines are excellent with fish (including sushi & sashimi), poultry, and other white meat dishes.
German wines pair particularly well with reduction sauces having an edge of caramelization and the addition of cream or créme fraiche. German wines are naturally well suited to cut through the edge of sweetness and fat from these elegant sauces.
In contrast, garlic-laden, tomato-based sauces and olive-oil preparations combat the delicate aromas and texture of most German wines.
© 2007 Moore Brothers Wine Company