(Claude Auguste / photo: Sansibar Sylt)
Klaus Peter Keller is one of the great wonders of German viticulture. Not merely because he produces superb Rieslings – others do that too – but because, in Rheinhessen of all places, he established bottle prices that were previously only conceivable in Burgundy. Rheinhessen, long synonymous with volume, Liebfraumilch and pleasant, unassuming everyday wines, was transformed by Keller into a region where German Rieslings were suddenly treated as cult objects. G-Max, Abtserde, Hubacker, Kirchspiel: names that turn up at auctions today as if they were still hot properties, even in these difficult years. The wines are great. There’s no doubt about that. Yet the price gap compared to the wine that perhaps most directly reflects Keller’s signature style remains grotesque: the Riesling ‘Von der Fels’.
On paper, Von der Fels is an entry-level Riesling. In reality, it is one of Germany’s most sophisticated wines. It comes from young vines on great limestone sites – in other words, from material that many other estates would long since have sold as a prestige wine. At Keller, this results in a wine that embodies the estate’s austere, chalky, crystal-clear style without a hefty price tag. That is precisely what makes it so interesting. Keller’s most expensive Rieslings can be overwhelming – though not all of them are. Von der Fels, on the other hand, is thoroughly convincing. It possesses the same internal structure, the same nerve, the same dry precision. Only without the economic megalomania of the secondary market.
The comparison with Wittmann is inevitable in Rheinhessen anyway. There, too, great dry Rieslings are produced from limestone, often with the same seriousness, though structured differently, biodynamic, yet no less approachable. Wittmann’s top vineyards are relatively more affordable, which makes the Keller cult even more apparent. The market has long since been paying for more than just wine at Keller; it pays for rarity, myth and the desire to own it. No one can blame a winery for that. It merely shows how peculiar wine has become once it is no longer drunk but rationed.
Yet Keller is at its strongest where the cult has not yet overshadowed everything. The Chardonnay-Weißburgunder cuvée has, for years, possessed an almost brazen naturalness. The estate’s Scheurebe (dry) is among the best in Germany because it does not allow the variety to veer into exotic perfumery, but instead gives it structure. And Von der Fels remains the Riesling through which the entire Keller school of winemaking becomes accessible: chalk, mineral, yellow fruit, herbs, salt, no frills.
In this small vertical tasting, the 2025 vintage naturally stands out as the strongest. The wine carries aromas of apricot, kumquats, a hint of mandarin, citrus zest and a subtle note of chalk. On the palate, it displays that rare combination of lightness and substance found only in great, simple wines. The acidity does not stand apart from the wine; it propels it forward. Everything is bright, cool, precise and yet a joy to drink. A wine that is already enjoyable now, yet can easily withstand a few years’ cellaring. Keller’s own term ‘Zechwein’ sounds almost comical here. If this is what ‘Zechwein’ is, Germany needs less prestige.
The 2019 vintage is more mature and broader, but by no means tired. The fruit leans more towards yellow apple, ripe lemon, a hint of Darjeeling, herbs and wet limestone. The wine has slightly more bite than the 2025 vintage, appearing denser and more full-bodied, without losing its elegance. After a bit of aeration, that grip for which Keller is famous emerges: no tannins, no harshness, but an almost tactile minerality. The 2019 Von der Fels is a wine for the table. It pairs well with fish, poultry, Asian cuisine, and even roast pork with horseradish. It doesn’t demand reverence. It demands a large glass.
The 2016 has a more taut presence. Grapefruit, herbs, chalk, a hint of white blossom, with little sign of ripeness. The vintage has never quite hidden its edges, and that is precisely what suits this wine. The acidity is present but not sharp. The wine comes across as taut, slender, more serious than the 2019, less charming than the 2025. In return, it possesses that dry finish which only reveals, after swallowing, just how much wine was actually in the glass. A Von der Fels for Riesling drinkers, not for Riesling romantics.
Finally, the 2013 is a mature look back. Yellow apple, pear, a hint – very subtle – of honey, nut and cashew, accompanied by an acidity that remains lively. The fruit has lost its youth, but not its form. The wine demonstrates just how well Von der Fels can age without resorting to grand Riesling posturing. No petrol notes, no drama of ageing. Rather, a calm, precise, now mellow limestone Riesling with a lingering finish.
After four vintages, the impression remains clear. Keller need not justify his great wines through Von der Fels. Von der Fels, rather, calls the high prices into question. Not out of rebellion. But because he demonstrates just how complete a wine can be before the market begins to make it significant.