About
The winery is located in the municipality of Flörsheim-Dalsheim (Wonnegau area) in the German wine growing region of Rheinhessen. Its origins date back to 1789, when Johann Leonhard Keller, who emigrated from Switzerland due to the unrest of the French Revolution, settled in Dalsheim and began to work in agriculture and viticulture. He acquired the four-hectare "Oberer Hubacker" share of the historic Hubacker site, which is still almost exclusively Riesling with a long-term yield average of 45 hl/ha. In 2000, a six-metre-high natural stone tower was built in this parcel of land from the limestone of the site and the region to underline its importance. In the family Bible, Georg Keller (1841-1820) reports on the special quality of Hubacker wines. Today, the traditional company is run by Klaus Keller, son Klaus-Peter and wife Julia. Felix Keller brings in his own ideas after graduating from high school, viticulture apprenticeship with von Buhl, Emrich-Schönleber, Julian Haart and Bereche in the Champagne region.
The vineyards comprise 18.5 hectares of vineyards in the individual sites of Bürgel, Frauenberg and Hubacker (Dalsheim), Silberberg (Monsheim), Brunnenhäuschen in the top parcel of Abtserde, Kirchspiel and Morstein (Westhofen), as well as Hipping and Pettenthal(Nierstein). Since 2018, areas planted with root-genuine, ancient Riesling have also been cultivated in the Schubertslay (Piesport) single vineyard site in the Moselle wine region. The vineyards are planted with the white wine varieties Riesling,Pinot Blanc, PinotGris, Silvaner, Chardonnay, Scheurebe and Rieslaner, and on 1.5 hectares withPinot Noir. Rock flour, organic fertilizers and mulch preparations are used to increase the vines' resistance to diseases and pests and to improve the soil structure and nutrient availability of the plants.
Rigorous quality criteria are applied. Great attention is paid to healthy and physiologically ripe grapes through selective manual harvesting. In the cellar, a non-invasive principle with as few interventions as possible (controlled inactivity) is practised in order to preserve the natural potential of the grapes. The aim is to produce top wines typical of the area, characterised by limestone and slate. The musts are fermented spontaneously at low temperatures with natural yeasts from the vineyard. The fermentation lasts at least eight to ten weeks, for noble sweet wines up to half a year. Depending on the type of wine, the wines are aged in stainless steel tanks or in large wooden barrels. Large plants are produced from the top sites. The winery is a member of the VDP (Association of German Prädikat Wine Estates) and the Message in a Bottle association.
