Arnt Egil Nordlien
Arnt Egil Nordlien
I love the wines from Franz Keller and am surprised that this producer does not get more talk than he does. That said I have never tasted any wines younger than the '90-vintage and the wines are no longer made by Franz, but his son Fritz. Franz Keller started to make very dry wines in such a degree that it became a kind of trademark. Many of the wines are fermented to lower than 1 g/L residual sugar, which by german standards at the end of the 70's was unheard. As Franz Keller also was the owner of the restaurant Schwarzer adler he found this style of wines to better suit the food that he served. The grape-varieties he used are mostly the three burgunder-types; Weissburgunder, grauburgunder (rulnder) and sptburgunder. Personally I have always liked the weissburgunder from him very much, although the grauburgunder seems to be Kellers most important variety. When it comes to vines, Franz Keller was a an opponent against the flurbereinigung which marred the german vineyards in the 70's. The einzellagen in Kaiserstuhl is placed on vulcanic soil. There is lss in Oberbergener Pulverbuck and parts of Bassgeige. While Achkarrer Schlossberg, Jechtinger Eichert, Oberrorweiler Eichberg and Kirchberg and parts of Oberbergener Bassgeige has weatherings of basalt.
Some months ago I found some older Franz Keller grauburgunders which sold at very low prices in Germany. The wines were enjoyed one by one with food over the last month or so and has not been through a comparative sort of tasting-them-all-toghether sort of thing. The bottles were in great shape and seems to have been properly stored.
Oberbergener Vulkanfelsen grauburgunder qualittswein 1989
This is a grosslage-qualittswein. 12% alc/vol. 1,9 g/L residual sugar. Lightly golden colour. At first quite shy on the nose. But it grows with air. Earthy, volcanic hints. Some ripe fruits. Minerality. Slim grauburgunder in the mouth. Anemic style. Bone-dry grauburgunder. Mineral style. Ashy, earthy hints. Evolved and quite complex. Medium acidity. Good length. A lesser wine, but this has held up nicely and still shows a lot of interesting notes. Not the most intense wine, but very nice and a fine food-wine.
Oberbergener Bassgeige grauburgunder qualittswein trocken 1986
Another QbA. Straw, lightly brown, colour. Pretty nose. Evolved grauburgunder with hints of earth, lightly sweet tropical fruits, minerality, vulcanic. Some complexity. Slim and acidic grauburgunder in the mouth. Again very dry style. Clean and pure style with medium concentration. Sweet earth, vulcanic ash, minerality. Citrusy finish and surprisingly high acids for this grape. This is a very good wine. Well developed, and fully mature now. This is still a quite shy little grauburgunder, but even more interesting than the Vulkanfelsen. Fully mature now. Very good wine.
Oberbergener Bassgeige grauburgunder kabinett trocken 1983
Golden colour. Very mineral nose. Ashy, salty style. Some evolved earthy grauburgunder-notes. Very dry and acidic grauburgunder in the mouth. Salty, mineralic fruit that reminds me a little of top Savennieres. Hints of ash and a complex earthyness. Pure and very interesting style. Very dry and slim style with cleansing and high acidity for this grape. Long citrusy taste. On top now. This is really a great wine. Complex, cleansing, long and pure taste. It is very intense and deep for such an old dry kabinett.
Jechtinger Eichert grauburgunder sptlese 1990
13% alc/vol. 0,7 g/L residual sugar. Yellow, lightly golden colour. Pretty nose. Hints of seaweed, minerality. Ash and a vulcanic feel. Slight yellow fruits. The nose grows with air. Complex and pure. Slim and dry grauburgunder in the mouth. Complex and mineral style. Not so much grauburgunder-notes in this one. Some yellow fruits. But more seaweed, minerality and ashy hints. Pure, but perhaps not the most intense. Also a bit kinder and rounder structure in this wine. Still the typical very dry style with good acidity and length. A great food-wine that is fine right now, but can age further.
Jechtinger Eichert rulnder sptlese 1978
Light golden colour. Intense, complex and evolved grauburgunder-nose. Very fine with hints of earth, peach, minerals, ash, salt. Bone-dry and fullbodied grauburgunder in the mouth. This is the most giving of all the wines from Franz Keller with an open and evolved fruit. Complex and very interesting. Earthy, ashy with some peachy fruit. Great depth. Salty, minerally adge. Again high acid for this grape, leaving a citrusy and refreshing finish. This is another great wine that is mature now.
Oberbergener lhalde sptburgunder weissherbst 1969
An old lost einzellage-name. I was not sure what to expect here. Copper colour. Fine nose. Quite earthy pinot-notes with a touch of dried sweet flowers. Pretty, but simple. Light and off-dry sptburgunder weissherbst in the mouth. More sweet flowery fruit here with a touch of earth. Slight perfumed on the palate. Fine acidity, medium length. This has held up surprisingly well and still has lots of fruit to offer. Matured and simpler in style than the grauburgunders and below in quality. Still it delivers something and is drinkable, which is probably more than I expected from such and old weissherbst.
Some months ago I found some older Franz Keller grauburgunders which sold at very low prices in Germany. The wines were enjoyed one by one with food over the last month or so and has not been through a comparative sort of tasting-them-all-toghether sort of thing. The bottles were in great shape and seems to have been properly stored.
Oberbergener Vulkanfelsen grauburgunder qualittswein 1989
This is a grosslage-qualittswein. 12% alc/vol. 1,9 g/L residual sugar. Lightly golden colour. At first quite shy on the nose. But it grows with air. Earthy, volcanic hints. Some ripe fruits. Minerality. Slim grauburgunder in the mouth. Anemic style. Bone-dry grauburgunder. Mineral style. Ashy, earthy hints. Evolved and quite complex. Medium acidity. Good length. A lesser wine, but this has held up nicely and still shows a lot of interesting notes. Not the most intense wine, but very nice and a fine food-wine.
Oberbergener Bassgeige grauburgunder qualittswein trocken 1986
Another QbA. Straw, lightly brown, colour. Pretty nose. Evolved grauburgunder with hints of earth, lightly sweet tropical fruits, minerality, vulcanic. Some complexity. Slim and acidic grauburgunder in the mouth. Again very dry style. Clean and pure style with medium concentration. Sweet earth, vulcanic ash, minerality. Citrusy finish and surprisingly high acids for this grape. This is a very good wine. Well developed, and fully mature now. This is still a quite shy little grauburgunder, but even more interesting than the Vulkanfelsen. Fully mature now. Very good wine.
Oberbergener Bassgeige grauburgunder kabinett trocken 1983
Golden colour. Very mineral nose. Ashy, salty style. Some evolved earthy grauburgunder-notes. Very dry and acidic grauburgunder in the mouth. Salty, mineralic fruit that reminds me a little of top Savennieres. Hints of ash and a complex earthyness. Pure and very interesting style. Very dry and slim style with cleansing and high acidity for this grape. Long citrusy taste. On top now. This is really a great wine. Complex, cleansing, long and pure taste. It is very intense and deep for such an old dry kabinett.
Jechtinger Eichert grauburgunder sptlese 1990
13% alc/vol. 0,7 g/L residual sugar. Yellow, lightly golden colour. Pretty nose. Hints of seaweed, minerality. Ash and a vulcanic feel. Slight yellow fruits. The nose grows with air. Complex and pure. Slim and dry grauburgunder in the mouth. Complex and mineral style. Not so much grauburgunder-notes in this one. Some yellow fruits. But more seaweed, minerality and ashy hints. Pure, but perhaps not the most intense. Also a bit kinder and rounder structure in this wine. Still the typical very dry style with good acidity and length. A great food-wine that is fine right now, but can age further.
Jechtinger Eichert rulnder sptlese 1978
Light golden colour. Intense, complex and evolved grauburgunder-nose. Very fine with hints of earth, peach, minerals, ash, salt. Bone-dry and fullbodied grauburgunder in the mouth. This is the most giving of all the wines from Franz Keller with an open and evolved fruit. Complex and very interesting. Earthy, ashy with some peachy fruit. Great depth. Salty, minerally adge. Again high acid for this grape, leaving a citrusy and refreshing finish. This is another great wine that is mature now.
Oberbergener lhalde sptburgunder weissherbst 1969
An old lost einzellage-name. I was not sure what to expect here. Copper colour. Fine nose. Quite earthy pinot-notes with a touch of dried sweet flowers. Pretty, but simple. Light and off-dry sptburgunder weissherbst in the mouth. More sweet flowery fruit here with a touch of earth. Slight perfumed on the palate. Fine acidity, medium length. This has held up surprisingly well and still has lots of fruit to offer. Matured and simpler in style than the grauburgunders and below in quality. Still it delivers something and is drinkable, which is probably more than I expected from such and old weissherbst.
