Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: 96 points

Keller?s 2011 Niersteiner Hipping Riesling Beerenauslese gold capsule is founded on a search for tiny, generally pipless, super-ripe berries not strongly botrytis-affected, which no doubt helps explain its levity and animation, even though sheer concentration and richness convinced him to declare it ?gold capsule.? ?The juice ran as pure as from an Eiswein,? he remarks. Sage and peppermint, lemon and orange rind inform the nose and palate with liqueur-like richness, distilled intensity, and bittersweet candification. Despite its sheer density and the confectionary cast conveyed by dark honey, caramel, malt, and candied citrus, this shares vibrant interactivity with the very best wines in the present collection: floral, musky, and saline elements being pitted against citrus and herb concentrates. You?ll find yourself carried away by (and on!) a finish that both soothes and stimulates. Look for 30 or more years of profound reward.

Review date: February 2013