VDP: Wilhelm Weil, the fourth generation of the founding family, runs the estate founded by his great-grandfather in 1875. Since then, the hillside sites of the 90-hectare (222-acre) estate – Kiedrich Klosterberg, Kiedrich Turmberg, and Kiedrich Gräfenberg – have been cultivated exclusively with the precious Riesling grape. These practices ensure the production of individualistic, exceptional wines: cultivation of Riesling on a continuous basis; quality-oriented vineyard management aimed at reducing yields; selective harvesting by hand; and extremely gentle processing in the cellar. Today, many observers of the international wine world regard at estate Robert Weil, with its “château character”, as a worldwide symbol of German Riesling culture. Here, where tradition and contemporary oenological know-how are in harmony, the finest grapes yield tremendous wines, year after year.
Jan Christensen, Wilhelm Weil's Assistant, was our host. We first took a look at the vineyards from the tasting room and then toured the celler before sitting down with Jan in the chateau building for a formal tasting.
The Weingut Robert Weil wines are represented in the USA by Loosen Bros. USA.
Robert Weil - Peerless, Uncompromising Rieslings from the Rheingau
(Loosen Bros. USA): Founded in 1875, Weingut Robert Weil is considered to be one of the Rheingau’s younger wine estates. It is located in the heart of Kiedrich, a village first documented in the year 950. Kiedrich Turmberg and Kiedrich Gräfenberg, the estate’s top vineyards, are among the finest sites in the Rheingau.
The estate cultivates 90 hectares (222 acres) of vineyards, of which 100 percent are planted with Riesling. Today, Wilhelm Weil, the great-grandson of the estate’s founder, carries on the tradition of uncompromising, quality-oriented vineyard and cellar practices – a tradition that has been the hallmark of the winery for four generations.
The Vineyards
Kiedrich Turmberg and Kiedrich Gräfenberg are situated on a southwest-facing ridge and a steep cliff with inclines of up to 60 percent. Their soils consist of deep and medium-deep stony, fragmented phyllite partially mixed with loess and loam. This combination of barren stony soils, an ideal microclimate, steep inclination and southwestern exposure allows the grapes to hang on the vine for a very long time. The resulting wines are complex and rich in minerals, with great elegance and finesse.
The vineyards are cultivated in an environmentally friendly manner: organic fertilizer is used as needed; green cover is planted in alternating rows to optimize the humus content of the soil; herbicides are never used, and other protective measures are used only sparingly and with respect for habitat.
Grapes are harvested by hand, with an extremely critical selection that involves up to 17 rounds through the vineyards. The goal of this meticulous attention is to reap the finest fruit possible for wines in every Prädikat level.
The Wines
The character of Robert Weil Rieslings is marked by the mineral-rich soils of the vineyards. These elegant, complex wines offer pronounced fruitiness with nuanced flavors and aromas. They embody a perfect interplay of fine yet firm acidity with natural sweetness and extract.
The Wines Jan Poured
2018 Weingut Robert Weil Rheingau Riesling Trocken VDP.Gutswein
Made with the same exacting standards and meticulous attention to detail as the single-vineyard wines, the estate cuvées from Robert Weil are the starting point for the vinous journey into the best of the Rheingau. Sourced from vineyards neighboring their top hillside sites, these wines are classic Rheingau Rieslings that reflect the unique terroir of the region, as well as the distinctive, ultra-classy style of this legendary estate. The Rheingau Riesling Trocken is pure and intense, with a stony richness and a lively, well-balanced structure.
2018 Weingut Robert Weil Kiedricher Riesling Trocken VDP.Ortswein
The Village Wine (VDP.Ortswein) classification level, as the name implies, is used for wines that come entirely from vineyard sites in the same village. For Robert Weil, that village is Kiedrich, where the majority of their vineyards are located. The Kiedricher Riesling Trocken is produced from parcels of younger vines in the estate’s three hillside sites in the village of Kiedrich. It is lively and effusive, with balanced acidity and a stately Baroque body. Charming stone fruit aromas and citrus flavors are woven into a refined minerality giving it the versatility to accompany a wide variety of cuisine.
2018 Weingut Robert Weil Kiedricher Klosterberg Riesling Trocken VDP.Erste Lage
2018 Weingut Robert Weil Kiedricher Turmberg Riesling Trocken VDP.Erste Lage
Kiedrich Turmberg (“tower hill”), a separate slope adjacent to the Gräfenberg vineyard, is rated as premier cru. The German wine law of 1971 had incorporated Turmberg into the Gräfenberg, but in 2005 it was reinstated as an individual, classified site. The steep, southwest-facing site has a slate base with a thin topsoil layer composed of stony, gritty phyllite mixed with loess and loam. It produces very fine, elegant wines that are less massive than their counterparts from the Gräfenberg. Turmberg is wholly owned by Weingut Robert Weil. The Turmberg Trocken (dry) is bright and pure, with a lovely herbal tone that is characteristic of this site. It has a finely focused mineral structure and a juicy grip on the palate.
2017 Weingut Robert Weil Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Trocken GG VDP.Grosse Lage
The deep to medium-deep stony soil of the Gräfenberg hillside is made up of phyllite interspersed with loess and loam. The Kiedrich Gräfenberg Riesling Grosses Gewächs is a perfect specimen of this mineral-rich terroir, displaying distinctive character and complexity. A full-bodied, dry-style wine, it offers a provocative balance of fruit, spice and flintiness. Fermented naturally in large wooden casks, the Kiedrich Gräfenberg Erstes Gewächs has a full, stony fruit aroma. It is weighty and complex on the palate, yet still quite elegant, with extraordinary length to the finish.
The Grosses Gewächs (“great growth”) designation is used only for the finest dry wine from a VDP.Grosse Lage (“grand cru”) classified vineyard. GG wines express the unique character of the vineyard and, being full-bodied dry wines, have great versatility with food.
2018 Weingut Robert Weil Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Spätlese VDP.Grosse Lage
The outstanding quality of the Gräfenberg (“hill of the counts”) site was first documented in the late 12th century. It is a steep, southwest-facing slope in a sheltered side valley, with deep to medium-deep stony soil made up of phyllite interspersed with water-retaining layers of loess and loam. Yields are very low, resulting in wines with extraordinary concentration.
Always stunning, the Spätlese (“late picked”) from Kiedrich Gräfenberg is a massive wine of bewildering depth and complexity, with many layers of gorgeous fruit that unfold on the palate. It is a stately wine with power, harmony and impeccable balance.
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