With 18 hectares under vine, and 15 of these which are classified as grand cru, Keller has, in the last twenty years, been catapulted into a space where their Rieslings are widely regarded as some of the world’s very best.
As a region, Rheinhessen is famous for its Roter Hang – ‘red slope’ – on the banks of the Rhine between Nierstein and Nackenheim. But, for Keller, the heart of their plantings are situated in the lesser known Hügelland, whose rolling hills evoke more of a landscape akin to the Loire Valley than the dramatic slopes so often associated with top German wine. The Kellers delved into the history books and saw that prime plots were earmarked here as far back as the 14th century. In the northern hemisphere, vineyards planted on the slopes of the Rhine were better suited to the cooler climate due to exposure to the sun, but now in the face of global warming, the Keller’s holdings are benefitting. Conversely, the challenges facing winegrowers in Nierstein these days include faster ripening and trying to preserve natural acidity in the grapes.
Historically famous for their off-dry and sweet wines, since the maiden release of dry Rieslings from Keller in 2001, produced from grand cru vineyards in Dalsheim, Westhofen and more recently Nierstein, these collection of wines have become an integral part of Keller’s worldclass reputation. For the dry Rieslings, only fruit from the best-situated parcels makes it into the bottlings. Even when it comes to the more entry-level cuvées like Von der Fels, while the grapes come from younger vines, they come from grand cru sites.
