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Country: | Germany |
Region: | Mosel |
Winery: | Robert Weil |
Grape Type: | Riesling |
Organic: | Yes |
Vintage: | 2020 |
Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Weingut Robert Weil Kiedricher Grafenberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs is made from 100 percent Riesling.
The Robert Weil Kiedrich Grafenberg GG is always at the head of its class. Deep, brooding, powerful aromas of sea salt, ripe lime, lemon curd and jasmine. Bass notes of moist earth. Explosive flavors of pineapple, honey, peach, apple and spearmint. So much fruit, but bone dry. Aristocratic finish.
A powerful, almost monolithic Riesling, that can stand up to buttered lobster, Eastern scallops, a roast garlic chicken, or just an array of ripe cheeses.
Review:
“This very youthful GG needs some aeration to open up, but with every swirl of the glass more wild herbs, red-fleshed vineyard peaches and exotic floral nuances emerge. Very concentrated, yet cool and focused, with a very precise interplay of tangerine fruit, wet-stone minerality and a hint of oak that echoes down the valleys.”
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.
-James Suckling 98 Points
SIR SUTTON'S LEGACY A WEALTHY PATRON OF THE ARTS BY THE NAME OF SIR JOHN SUTTON FIRST ARRIVED IN KIEDRICH IN 1857. HE FELL IN LOVE WITH THE TOWN FOR ITS LANDSCAPE AND CHARACTER, INCLUDING THE GOTHIC ST. VALENTINUS CHURCH, ITS VARIOUS NOBLE ESTATES AND THE RUINS OF SCHARFENSTEIN CASTLE. SUTTON DIED IN 1873, AND DR. ROBERT WEIL ACQUIRED HIS MANOR AND SETTLED IN KIEDRICH TWO YEARS LATER
WHILE PRIMARILY ENGAGED AS A JOURNALIST, DR. ROBERT WEIL ALSO BEGAN EXPANDING HIS WINE HOLDINGS THROUGH THE ACQUISITION OF SOME OF KIEDRICH'S FINEST HILLSIDE SITES. HIS UNCOMPROMISING DEDICATION TO QUALITY IN THE VINEYARD PROVED PROPHETIC AND LED TO THE RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF THE ESTATE AND AN INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCE FOR HIS WINES.WELCOME AT ANY TABLE
AS THE WHITE COUNTERPART TO THE GRAND RED WINES OF BORDEAUX, THE RIESLING AUSLESEN FROM WEINGUT DR. WEIL HISTORICALLY GRACED THE TABLES OF MANY OF EUROPE'S NOBLE AND IMPERIAL HOUSES
WEIL'S RIESLINGS WERE FAVORITES NOT JUST OF THE ARISTOCRACY, BUT ALSO OF THE PROSPERING MIDDLE CLASS. AUSLESE WINES FROM THE KIEDRICHER BERG WERE REGULARLY FEATURED IN BERLIN'S HOTEL ADLON AND THE WINE LISTS OF OTHER GRAND METROPOLITAN HOTELS. A 1920 KIEDRICHER GRÄFENBERG TROCKENBEERENAUSLESE BESTES FASS NR. 20 FROM DR. WEIL'S ESTATE ENRICHED THE WINE LIST OF THE "LZ 127 GRAFZEPPELIN" AIRSHIP ON ITS MAIDEN VOYAGE IN 1928 TO NEW YORK.HIGH SOCIETY
THE SON OF THE ESTATE'S FOUNDER, ATTORNEY DR. WILHELM WEIL, ASSUMED THE HELM IN 1920. BEYOND HIS INVOLVEMENT WITH POLITICAL ISSUES AFFECTING WINEGROWERS — THE ESTATE HAS BEEN A MEMBER OF THE VDP AND ITS PREDECESSOR ORGANIZATIONS SINCE 1907 — HE ALSO SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATED THE ESTATE THROUGH DARK AND TURBULENT TIMES. STARTING IN THE 1950S, HIS WINERY REATTAINED ITS STATUS AS A POPULAR DESTINATION FOR WINE CONNOISSEURS.
DR. WILHELM WEIL'S SON ROBERT, ALSO AN ATTORNEY, WAS NEXT TO ASSUME THE REINS TO THE ESTATE. STARTING WITH THE FAMOUS 1959 VINTAGE, HE RETURNED RIESLINGS FROM THE KIEDRICH VINEYARDS TO THEIR PREVIOUS PROMINENCE BOTH IN GERMANY AND AROUND THE WORLD.
ONCE UPON A TIME, THE VISION AND ENTREPRENEURIAL COURAGE OF DR. ROBERT WEIL PROVED ESSENTIAL TO THE SURVIVAL OF THE ESTATE. AFTER ALL, HIS PRIVATELY OWNED WINERY HAD TO STAY AFLOAT IN A SEA OF NOTABLE RHEINGAU ESTATES WITH DEEP-ROOTED TIES TO THE CHURCH OR ARISTOCRACY. HIS GREAT-GRANDSON WILHELM WEIL HAS CARRIED THAT BOLD APPROACH INTO MODERN TIMES.
Wilhelm Weil learned the intricacies of winemaking from the ground up. That education has shaped the many decisions that now define the fortunes of the estate. His efforts began in 1987 with far-sighted investments in the cellar and vineyards and the introduction of the "Tiffany Blue" label. As the founder's great-grandson, there is real pride in the global attention being accorded once again to Weil Rieslings.
EACH WEIL RIESLING EXPRESSES A SIMULTANEOUS ELEGANCE AND COMPLEXITY ORIGINATING IN THE DISTINCTIVE, STONY CHARACTER OF THE KIEDRICH HILLSIDES. THE WEIL STYLE, HOWEVER, HAS DONE MORE THAN JUST EARN INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR THE ESTATE. IT HAS ACHIEVED A SYMBOLIC STATUS ON THE WORLD STAGE AND HELPED RAISE THE INTERNATIONAL PROFILE OF GERMANY’S UNIQUE RIESLING CULTURE.
Wolfberger Alsace Riesling is 100 percent Riesling.
Riesling is the most popular grape variety in Alsace. Racy yet slightly fruity, Wolfberger Riesling is a subtle fine wine of citrus and mineral aromas, good acidity and freshness. It has been known for being the perfect "food wine" - great with traditional Alsatian dishes such as sauerkraut, but also, thanks to their vivacity, with fish and shellfish.
A very slow-growing variety, Riesling ripens with chilly nights. The leaves are round and thick with sharp teeth.
The berries – small, green or yellow, with thick skin – grow on a short-stemmed, cylindrical, compact cluster.
The Reisling grows best in soil that isn’t too rich, with a preference for light terroirs with lots of sunshine.
After the harvest, the grapes are put into horizontal pneumatic presses where the juice is slowly extracted. After crushing the grapes, the juice (actually the must, which includes the skins, stems and seeds) is stored in different vats, then it is carefully clarified.
Fermenting in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats for 3-4 weeks.
Racking. Fining (3-4 months). Filtration and stabilization, then aging in the bottle.
Excellent with grilled fish or cooked in a sauce, and shellfish.
Review:
- Wine Enthusiast (November 2022), 92 pts
Bastgen Berncastel-Cueser Weisenstein Riesling Spatlese Trocken is made from 100 percent Riesling.
Bright, clean, fresh and zesty. Grapefruit like flavors. Fruity aromas and a nice minerality, typical of the Riesling grape grown on blue slate soil. Round, rich and a very long finish. The grapes for this wine are vigorously selected. Botrytis is not tolerated. At harvest the grapes are fully ripened, have a golden color, and a soft tartness. After a long spontaneous fermentation in a traditional 1000L barrel, the wine just reaches the dry stage. This gives the wine a creamy structure that interplays with ripe yellow and exotic fruit aromas.
They meticulously tend 4.5 ha (11.11 acres) of which 80% is Riesling. The soil is made of slate. Their vineyards are located in Kesten and Brauneberg, on a steep terrace, and planted to 50-year old vines. Fortunately for Bastgen, they own part of the famous Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr. The vines produce very small, ripe berries that are very tasty.
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Weinkeller Erbach Riesling (liter) is 100 percent Riesling.
Round and refreshing wine with light touches of lemon and lime on the nose. Slightly sweet mouthfeel, with juicy and fruity flavors.
Luccianus Amphore Lussac St. Emilion is made from 100% Cabernet Franc.
Luccianus is the name of Gallo-Roman origin designating the town of Lussac and its vineyard dating from the 4th century. This 100% Cabernet Franc is produced from the estate oldest vines of 100 years of age and is a return to ancestral aging techniques. The amphora aging gives out a very expressive wine with a superb aromatic radiance and very silky tannins all without a woody note.
The wine shows a beautiful deep purple color. The nose is complex and rich with intense notes of fruits and spices. The palate is round and powerful with silky tannins.
Review:
"Plums, berries and orange peel on the nose. It’s full-bodied and round-tannined with a lovely, juicy texture and a flavorful finish. Delicious and attractive. Made in amphora. Can age, but will intrigue now. Drink or hold."
-James Suckling 93 Points
- Wine Enthusiast (December 2022), 93 pts
Dr. Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Alte Reben Riesling Grosses Gewachs is made from 100 percent Riesling.
This is one of the greatest vineyards in the Middle Mosel. This precipitously steep, rocky vineyard consistently yields some of the most elegant and sophisticated white wines in the world. Citrus and white peach flavors predominate when the wines are young, turning to a pure expression of the mineral soil as they age.
A heavenly, full-bodied dry Riesling with forceful minerality from 100-year-old vines grown in the blue slate soil of Graach.
Graach is a small village in the Mosel valley. It’s steep slate slopes produce wines that combine elegance with rustic strength. Grosses Gewächs (GG) is the designation for an estate’s best dry wine from a Grosse Lage (grand cru) vineyard. This limited-production wine was fermented with indigenous yeasts and kept in the barrel, on the full lees, for a year before bottling. The extended maturation time allows the wine to develop greater texture and a deeper natural harmony. This is a fully ripe wine, with vibrant aromatics and a pronounced acidity that gives it a brilliant structural precision.
Review:
Convincing proof that 2020 is an excellent vintage for dry GG on the Mosel! Cool and stony with delicate white-peach and white-currant aromas. Really takes off at the intensely slatey and racy finish.
-James Suckling 95-96 Points
Dr. Loosen Urziger Wurzgarten Alte Reben Grosses Gewachs Riesling is made from 100 percent Riesling.
Blazing red and insanely steep, the Ürziger Würzgarten vineyard fills the picturesque amphitheater formed by this dramatic bend in the river. It produces wines with exotic, spicy aromas that are bursting with tropical fruit flavors. The estate’s oldest vines are found here.
Review:
The 2020 Urziger Wurzgarten GG Alte Reben is pure, deep and salty on the remarkably clear, precise and complex nose. Full-bodied and juicy, this is a round and fruity, not all too dry Würzgarten that is stunningly pure, finessed and tensioned for this complicated Mosel vintage. Highly promising. Tasted as a cask sample in Wiesbaden in August 2021.
-Wine Advocate 96 Points
What a beauty! So much wild berry and spice. Juicy and well-structured, the two sides of the wine already beautifully integrated. So much drive! Very long, spicy and stony finish.
-James Suckling 95-96 Points
Weingut Prager Achleiten Riesling Smaragd is made from 100 percent Riesling.
Franz Prager, co-founder of the Vinea Wachau, had already earned a reputation for his wines when Toni Bodenstein married into the family. Bodenstein’s passion for biodiversity and old terraces, coupled with brilliant winemaking, places Prager in the highest echelon of Austrian producers.
Smaragd is a designation of ripeness for dry wines used exclusively by members of the Vinea Wachau. The wines must have a minimum alcohol of 12.5%. The grapes are hand-harvested, typically in October and November, and are sent directly to press where they spontaneously ferment in stainless-steel tanks.
Achleiten sits east of Weißenkirchen and is one of the most famous vineyards in the Wachau. The steeply-terraced vineyard existed in Roman times. Some sections have just 40 cm of topsoil over the bedrock of Gföler Gneiss, amphibolitic stone, and slate. “Destroyed soil,” as Toni Bodenstein likes to say.
Tasting Notes:
Austrian Riesling is often defined by elevated levels of dry extract thanks to a lengthy ripening period and freshness due to dramatic temperature swings between day and night. Wines from Achleiten’s highly complex soils are famously marked by a mineral note of flint or gun smoke, are intensely flavored, and reliably long-lived.
Food Pairing:
Riesling’s high acidity makes it one of the most versatile wines at the table. Riesling can be used to cut the fattiness of foods such as pork or sausages and can tame some saltiness. Conversely, it can highlight foods such as fish or vegetables in the same way a squeeze of lemon or a vinaigrette might.
Review:
The 2020 Ried Achleiten Riesling Smaragd offers a well-concentrated, fleshy and spicy stone fruit aroma with crunchy and flinty notes. It needs some time to get rid of the stewed fruit flavors, though. Full-bodied, fresh and crystalline, this is an elegant, complex and finely tannic Riesling that needs some years rather than a carafe to polymerize the tannins and gain some finesse. Tasted at the domain in June 2021.
At Prager, I could not determine that 2020 would be inferior to the 2019 vintage; on the contrary, the 2020 Smaragd wines fascinated me enormously in their clear, cool, terroir-tinged way. A 38% loss had occurred mainly because of the hail on August 22, although predominantly in the Federspiel or Riesling vineyards. There was no damage in the top vineyards such as Ried Klaus, Achleiten or Zwerithaler. "Interestingly, the vines are in agony for about two weeks after the hail. There was no more growth, no development of ripeness and sugar," reports Toni Bondenstein. The Veltliner then recovered earlier, while even picking a Riesling Federspiel in October was still a struggle. "Why Riesling reacted more intensively to the hail, I don't know myself either," says Bodenstein. Whole clusters were pressed to preserve acidity and to compensate for the lower extract, and compared to 2019, the 2020s were left on their lees longer. In June, however, the 20s in particular showed outstanding early shape.
-Wine Advocate 94 Points
Light yellow-green, silver reflections. Yellow stone fruit nuances with a mineral underlay, notes of peach and mango, a hint of tangerine zest, mineral touch. Juicy, elegant, white fruit, acidity structure rich in finesse, lemony-salty finish, sure aging potential.
-Falstaff 95 Points
Weller-Lehnert Piesporter Domherr Grosses Gewachs Riesling is made from 100 percent Riesling.
Made in accordance with the stringent production criteria of the classification of the Bernkasteler Ring, wines with the designation “Grosses Gewächs Bernkasteler Ring” represent the premium line of the association’s dry wines. These Grand Crus can only come from the best sites of the steep slopes and are distinguished by their exceptional aging potential. To be awarded the status of “Grosses Gewächs”, selective hand-harvesting, a restriction of yields to 50 hl/ha and the passing of a stringent sensory examination by a highly qualified professional panel are required.
Review:
- Wine Enthusiast (July 2021), 91 pts
Dr. Loosen Erdener Treppchen Alte Reben Riesling Grosses Gewachs is made from 100 percent Riesling.
Aromatically the wine has lifting scents of lemon and lime zest, white peaches, and fresh summer herbs. On the palate the wine is a touch more full bodied with flavors of white chalk minerality as well peaches and cream.
Review:
Loosen's 2021 Erdener Treppchen GG Alte Reben is remarkably refined on the nose that exhibits a delicate and flinty-scented bright stone fruit and Riesling aroma. The palate is round and playful, almost silky and very elegant, leading to an intense and sustainably saline and tangy finish with fine grip and good tension. Surely one of the highlights in Erni Loosen's 2021 GG series. 12.5% alcohol. Tasted as a sample at the domaine in July 2022. To be bottled in October.
-Wine Advocate 94-96 Points
Saumaize-Michelin Pouilly-Fuisse “Clos sur la Roche” is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Produced from the oldest parcel of the estate dating back from 1979 and planted on the slopes of the Vergisson Rock, "Clos sur la Roche" benefits from a south sun exposure. This beautiful Chardonnay offers abundant floral and white fruit aromas, toasty and buttery notes and brioche scents. Well-balanced and concentrated on the palate with a rich structure and refreshing notes of zesty lemon and mineral purity that brings a vibrant energy to the finish.
Complex aromas of soft citrus fruits and minerals. Densely packed and fresh, with intense, complex flavors of white fruit as well as a hint of spice. The finish is very firm, long but not dry.
This site is now a Premier Cru!
Review:
"From a 1.60-hectare parcel on white limestone soils at 360m altitude on the Roc de Vergisson, the 2020 Pouilly-Fuissé Sur La Roche 1er Cru has a gorgeous bouquet with crushed rock, white tea and wild peach scents all beautifully-defined. The palate is very well balanced with a fine spine of acidity, very cohesive, maybe just a little more malic than the Maréchaude, yet with just as much persistency in the mouth. Superb. - Neal Martin"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (August 2022), 93 pts
Refined and very floral on the nose, with a shiny straw yellow color. The nose opens up citrus and honeyed, followed by white peach and cantaloupe notes. It is creamy and voluptuous on the palate. 2020 Gaia & Rey is a moving wine, with a vibrant freshness and lingering finish with a quality of sapidity. It shows remarkable elegance.
Review:
The 2020 Gaja Gaia and Rey is a really beautiful example of Chardonnay from the Langhe. The wine is named after Angelo Gaja’s eldest daughter Gaia and her grandmother Clothilde Rey. I love the complexity of the nose with its gun flint, struck match, Burgundy-like notes followed by ripe, white peach, a subtle hint of honey, and complex, creamy lees. It has a delightful texture and is sublimely silky and elegant as it flows across the palate with a slight twist of bitter lemon peel and dried orange on the finish. It is an elegant and beautifully crafted wine that would give many Burgundies a run for their money.
-Wine Independent 96 Points