Weingut Keller

The estate's story begins in 1789, when Johann Leonhard Keller fled the unrest of the French Revolution in Switzerland and settled in Dalsheim, acquiring the four-hectare Oberer Hubacker vineyard from the local monastery. Ten generations later, Klaus-Peter Keller, who trained at Geisenheim University in oenology and viticulture, and completed internships at Domaines Armand Rousseau and Hubert Lignier in Burgundy as well as in South Africa, took over the day-to-day direction of the estate with his wife Julia with the 2001 vintage. The estate's transformation from a respected regional producer to a globally recognized cult winery is one of modern German wine's defining stories.

• The winery is located in Flörsheim-Dalsheim in the Wonnegau area of Rheinhessen; the Oberer Hubacker vineyard, in the family since 1789, remains the estate's most iconic site.
• Georg Keller, Klaus-Peter's great-grandfather, was the first family member to sell bottled wine commercially, starting in 1921, effectively founding the modern estate.
• Klaus-Peter studied oenology at Geisenheim University and brought Burgundian techniques back to Rheinhessen after internships at Domaine Armand Rousseau and Domaine Hubert Lignier.
• Son Felix has joined the family team, spearheading new projects including a sparkling wine program and expanding the estate's work in biodynamic and organic farming.

What makes Keller's achievement extraordinary is the context: Rheinhessen was long considered Germany's most maligned wine region, and the Hügelland hills where the estate sits were regarded as its least promising corner. Yet Klaus-Peter and Julia Keller have transformed this perception entirely. Vineyards that were once overlooked, Kirchspiel, Hubacker, Morstein, and Abtserde, are now considered pilgrimage sites for dry Riesling lovers worldwide. Jancis Robinson famously described Keller's wines as the German Montrachets, and the comparison has held: the 2019 G-Max Riesling became the first dry Riesling ever awarded 100 points by Robert Parker.

• Keller has inspired an entire generation of young Rheinhessen winemakers and is widely credited with sparking the region's quality revolution.
• Klaus-Peter and Julia Keller are considered peers to Egon Müller of the Saar in terms of international prestige and critical acclaim for German wine.
• Jancis Robinson's widely quoted description of Keller wines as the German Montrachets brought global attention to Rheinhessen dry Riesling.
• The 2019 G-Max, the first dry Riesling to receive 100 Parker points, cemented the estate's position at the very summit of world white wine.

Keller farms approximately 20 hectares of vineyards, with around 70% classified as Grosses Gewächs, spanning sites in Flörsheim-Dalsheim, Westhofen, Nierstein, and, since 2018, Piesport on the Mosel. The estate's soils are predominantly limestone and marl in the Wonnegau Hügelland, with contrasting red slate at the Rote Hang sites near Nierstein. Organic farming practices, meticulous hand work throughout the growing season, and a focus on encouraging slow, late ripening are the pillars of the viticulture. Klaus-Peter's mother, Hedwig, selected high-quality, low-yielding Riesling clonal material from ancient Saar vines, which gave the estate a foundational viticultural advantage.

• Vineyards are farmed organically; rock flour, organic fertilizers, and mulch preparations are used to build soil health and vine resilience.
• All harvesting is done by hand with careful selection for ripeness; only vines 25 years or older are used for the Grosses Gewächs and G-Max bottlings.
• Klaus-Peter adjusts the leaf-to-bunch ratio precisely to encourage longer, slower ripening, with pruning, de-leafing, and shoot positioning all carried out manually.
• Since 2018 the estate also manages a parcel of ungrafted, old-vine Riesling at the Schubertslay site in Piesport, Mosel, adding another dimension to the portfolio.

In the cellar, Klaus-Peter practices a non-interventionist philosophy, intervening only as much as necessary to preserve the natural potential of each vineyard. White wines are harvested by hand and left to macerate on their skins for thirty to forty hours before gentle whole-bunch basket pressing, a technique that adds phenolic texture and complexity uncommon in German whites. Fermentation proceeds with indigenous yeasts at low temperatures, taking a minimum of eight to ten weeks, and up to six months for noble sweet wines. The Riesling Grosses Gewächs wines are matured in large traditional oak fuder, while simpler cuvées may be finished in stainless steel; all wines receive at least six months of bottle aging before release.

• Whole-bunch basket pressing after 30 to 40 hours of skin maceration builds phenolic structure and textural depth in the white wines.
• Spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts lasts a minimum of 8 to 10 weeks; noble sweet wines ferment for up to six months.
• Grosses Gewächs Rieslings rest on fine lees until March after harvest and are bottled in May with very light filtration; many are held in bottle a further six months before release.
• The estate has shifted increasingly toward large old oak fuder rather than stainless steel for GG fermentation and aging, reflecting the Burgundian influence of Klaus-Peter's training.

Keller's range spans from accessible entry-level bottlings such as the Limestone Riesling Kabinett and the Riesling Trocken, through the sub-GG cuvee Von der Fels, up to the individual Grosses Gewächs from Hubacker, Kirchspiel, Morstein, and Abtserde, and finally to the micro-production G-Max at the apex. G-Max, made from old-vine parcels across the estate's top Grosse Lage sites, is produced in quantities of around 1,500 bottles per vintage and has been cited as one of the most expensive and sought-after dry Rieslings in the world. Beyond Riesling, Keller produces outstanding Spätburgunder, Silvaner, Scheurebe, Rieslaner, and a range of Prädikatsweine that represent some of Rheinhessen's finest noble sweet wines.

• Von der Fels (from the rock) is a dry trocken cuvée blended from younger vines in Keller's Grosse Lage vineyards, including Kirchspiel, Abtserde, Hubacker, and Morstein.
• G-Max is named for great-grandfather Georg, who first bottled wine in 1921, and oldest son Maximilian; the 2001 vintage was the first release.
• Morstein's heavy clay-over-limestone soils yield Keller's most powerful and mineral GG Rieslings, while Kirchspiel's cooler east-facing aspect produces more delicate, herbal expressions.
• The estate also produces world-class Silvaner, Scheurebe, and Rieslaner, as well as Auslesen, BA, and TBA that rank among the finest noble sweet wines from Rheinhessen.

Weingut Keller is a VDP member estate and has been recognized by virtually every major critic and publication as one of Germany's, and the world's, greatest wine producers. Vinous Media has described Klaus Peter Keller as having achieved superstar status in the international wine world. The estate's influence extends well beyond its 20 hectares: the quality revolution in Rheinhessen, now Germany's most exciting region for top-end dry Riesling, is inseparable from what Klaus-Peter and Julia Keller have built since 2001. The estate remains fully family-owned, with the third generation, son Felix and his partner Bella, now working alongside Klaus-Peter, Julia, and the elder Klaus Keller.

• The estate is a member of the VDP (Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter), Germany's association of premium wine estates.
• Klaus Keller, Klaus-Peter's father, was named Winemaker of the Year by Gault Millau in 2000, just before the next generation took over.
• The Kellerkiste, introduced in 2011, is a mixed case of six wines including one bottle of G-Max, making it the primary way to access the estate's top wines.
• Felix Keller is leading new projects including sparkling wine production, ensuring the estate continues to evolve under family ownership into the next generation.