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.
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
Copain Edmeades Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
This wine embodies everything you love about Anderson Valley Pinot; flavors of strawberry, Rainier cherries with hints of spice.
VINTAGE NOTES:
The 2017 vintage began with significant rainfall prior to bloom, refilling the state’s reservoirs and ending California’s five-year drought. We saw a sudden spike in temperatures just prior to harvest, leading fruit to ripen quicker than anticipated. This sped up our harvest schedule, but due to our team’s vigilance, the fruit was still able to be picked at optimal ripeness. Temperatures then cooled back down by mid-September, allowing the remaining vineyards to complete ripening at an ideal pace. The rest of harvest was finished as planned, with yields coming in at their typical levels.
The historical Edmeades Vineyard sits along the western side of the small town of Philo in what’s known as the “deep-end” of Anderson Valley. Flanked by the Navarro River, there is a diversity of sandstone soils throughout the vineyard. The Edmeades vineyard is planted with vines facing southwest, allowing this vineyard to receive warmer afternoon weather. This helps to balance the prolonged cool fog influence this vineyard sees throughout the growing season.
Aromas: Raspberry, dried cherries, pennyroyal, orange zest.
Palate: Medium weight palate with soft tannins. Notes of cherry, pomegranate, and clove with light delicate cola notes on the finish.
Review:
The first vintage for this cuvée from Ryan, the 2017 Pinot Noir Edmeades Vineyard comes from mid-valley and was brought up in 27% new French oak. It's a beautiful wine with blueberry and wild strawberry fruits as well as complex spice, dried flowers, and some loamy soil notes. Medium-bodied, seamless, and silky on the palate, it's a lovely, layered wine that shines for its texture and balanced.
Ruby red with soft purplish reflections. Rich and complex on the nose, very reminiscent of small fruits of brambles, black cherry and a very delicate hint of softwood. On the palate it is decisive, complex and extraordinarily persistent.
Review:
Complex aromas of ripe fruit, toffee, cedar and smoke. Medium body, round and creamy tannins and a fresh, juicy finish.
-James Suckling 94 Points