Keller Riesling G-Max 2016

98 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 2016 vintage of G-Max is just an outstanding bottle in the making. The pure, deep and slightly exotic nose offers up sweet grapefruit, tart orange, wild yeasts, complex minerality, a hint of blood orange, incipient smokiness, lemongrass and orange peel. On the palate the wine is deep, full, pure and still rather reserved in profile, with a rock solid core, great focus and grip, ripe, racy acids and stunning length and grip on the seamlessly balanced finish. This has stunning backend energy and is once again the pick of the litter amongst the dry Rieslings in the Keller cellars in 2016, but it seems that the gap between this bottling and several of the other Grosses Gewächs bottlings gets smaller and smaller with each passing year. 2030-2075. (Nov/Dec 2018)"

98 points Stuart Pigott (JamesSuckling.com): "Great mineral freshess on the nose for a dry white that’s 8 years old! In spite of the enormous smoky depth and the exceptional concentration for this vintage, the wine is filigree and subtle right through the very lingering finish. Still plenty of aging potential. Drink or hold. At the Keller G-Max vertical tasting. (3/22/24)"

96.7 points CellarTracker.com community score.

96+ points Stephan Reinhardt (Wine Advocate): "The 2016 Riesling G-Max is very pure, fresh and chalky on the nose but also concentrated and ripe. On the palate, this is a very concentrated, intense, juicy, pure, mineral, tannic and well-structured Riesling with a lot of grip, tension and salt. Just one gram of residual sugar here, so don't expect a charming Riesling classic. This G-Max has truly fine tannins but nonetheless a lot of grip and tension. Still terribly young but full of character, purity and tension. This is incredibly structured Riesling and a final score is hard to give, although it won't get worse with age. Drink: 2019-2030. (Oct 2017)"

96 points Mosel Fine Wines: "AP: 36 17. The 2016er G-Max proves gorgeously backward and restrained, and only gradually reveals a beautifully aromatic and fresh nose of sage, white pear, candied lemon, floral elements and fine herbs. The wine is pure silk and yet stunningly precise on the palate and leaves a refined feel of chalky minerals in the long and smooth finish. It is seemingly light but the presence and intensity in the after-taste are proving this wrong. This only needs time to shine. 2026-2041. (Apr 2018)"

95 points David Schildknecht (Vinous): "Lime, fennel and sea breeze on the nose set the stage for an equally pungent display of zesty citrus, bittersweet herbal concentrate and mouthwatering salinity on an expansive, faintly oily palate. Stony undertow and glowing citrus seed piquancy extend a long, mouthwateringly salt-tinged, intensely vibrant finish of sappy concentration, even if not one boasting the transparency, multiplicity or sheer refreshment of this year’s Abtserde. At the risk of sounding churlish, and while recognizing my great good fortune in being able to taste the annual editions of Keller’s always impressive G-Max, I can’t help suspecting that the long-standing cult status and the mystique of this Riesling from a never-to-be-mentioned site are what cause German wine critics to consistently rate it as the top wine in any given Keller collection. Drink: 2020-2030. (May 2018)"