Founded in only 1875, Weingut Robert Weil is considered to be one of the Rheingau’s younger wine estates. The estate’s top vineyards—Kiedrich, Turmberg and Kiedrich Gräfenberg—are among the finest sites in the Rheingau.
Robert Weil wines are imported to the United States by Loosen Bros. USA as part of our “Friends of Ernst Loosen” portfolio. The selection includes Robert Weil’s estate wines, single-vineyard wines and noble sweet wines. (See the Loosen Bros. list of Weil wines with details about each wine.)
This month (May 2013), Wine Spectator magazine named two Robert Weil wines to their Top German Wines list:
- Robert Weil Kiedrich Gräfenberg TBA (95)
- Robert Weil Kiedrich Gräfenberg TBA (94)
Here’s some detail on three more Robert Weil wines, all available through Loosen Bros. USA.
ROBERT WEIL KIEDRICH TURMBERG RIESLING TROCKEN (DRY) 2011
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.
[93] Wine & Spirits (Year’s Best)
From a steep, craggy 9.4 acre monopole planted to vines since 1109, this is stunning wine. It gives the sense of having great size without any weight; of being fruity without any sweetness. It tastes like a mouthful of rocks and like the air after a rain. There’s a scent of delicate tropical fruits and flowers that lasts with a clarity that carries it for miles. December 2012
[91] Wine Spectator
Juicy and rich, with a light creaminess to the peach, apricot and ripe apple flavors. Notes of pear tart linger on the spicy finish alongside hints of sage and tarragon. March 31,2013
[89] Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar
Aromas of yellow plum and bay leaf. Succulent passion fruit flavor is given grip and vibrancy by stony minerality. In a full-bodied style, with a nicely spiced finish. Good potential. January/February 2013
ROBERT WEIL KIEDRICH GRÄFENBERG RIESLING TROCKEN ERSTES GEWACHS 2011
The deep to medium-deep stony soil of the Gräfenberg hillside is made up of phyllite interspersed with loess and loam. The Kiedrich Gräfenberg Trocken “Erstes Gewächs” is a perfect specimen of this mineral rich terroir, displaying extremely rich 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 Erstes Gewächs (“first growth”) designation is used only in the Rheingau. Similar to the term Grosses Gewächs used in other German wine regions, it is reserved for the finest dry wine from a classified vineyard. Rigorous quality standards apply, and each Erstes Gewächs candidate has to be tasted and approved by the Rheingau’s governing wine board before it can be released.
[92] Wine & Spirits (Year’s Best)
Like the nearby Turmberg, this site is mostly phyllite, a metamorphic rock that falls between slate and schist. Here, however, the impression is ripe and sunny, the pear flavor as smooth and rich as custard. Minerality turns the flavors toward more herbal registers in the end, tight and mouthwatering. December 2012
[92] Wine Spectator
Rich and complex, with concentrated and well-spiced flavors and ripe peach, pear and dried apricot. Baked pineapple and honey cream notes are prevalent as well. Smoke and hickory notes show on the finish. March 31, 2013
[90] Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar
Delicate aromas of white peach, lemon oil and acacia blossom. Dense guava fruit complicated by an oyster shell spiciness and a touch of honeysuckle. In spite of its weight this wine dances across the palate. Excellent clarity on the finish. January/February 2013
[★★★★★] Restaurant Wine
First rate dry Riesling from this top Kiedrich estate. It is rich, supple, and ripely flavored; a wine with excellent depth of fruit (peach, apple, pineapple, lemon peel, lily of the valley), a hint of wood character, and a long, full finish. Still quite young; needs aging. December 2012
ROBERT WEIL KIEDRICH GRÄFENBERG RIESLING SPÄTLESE 2011
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.
The Kiedrich Gräfenberg Spätlese is enormously lush and ripe, but with a firm backbone from the elevated acidity of the vintage. It is massive and complex on the palate with deep, dense layers of fruit and a fine fruit finish that lingers endlessly.
[95] The Tasting Panel
Explosive and bursting with peach, apricot and lime; sweet, lush and juicy with exquisite tension between sugar and acid; honeysuckle, light minerals and stunning balance; long and amazing. November 2012
[93] Wine Spectator
Complex and redolent of tropical fruit flavors, with plenty of guava, mango and ripe pineapple. Offers intense notes of apple and ripe nectarine, all on a broad frame. Rich and creamy on the bright finish, featuring juicy acidity and citrus peel accents. Dec. 31, 2012
[93] Wine & Spirits (Year’s Best)
This is succulent and intense, a compact, powerful punch of sweet lemon-lime flavor. It bursts open like a fireworks display, showering the palate with a sparkling array of fruit and floral flavors, then fades away cleanly. Dynamic and youthful, this is a good candidate for another decade or two in the cellar. December 2012
[92] Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar
Delicate floral lift to the aromas of yellow plum, quince and vanilla. A honeyed richness develops over the wine’s mineral foundation, providing complexity to go with the brightness. A salty crispness keeps the palate fresh. One of the finest Spätleses of the vintage in the Rheingau. January/February 2013
[★★★★★] Restaurant Wine
Wow! The Gräfenberg—one of the Rheingau’s greatest vineyards—is a remarkable Spätlese, in a full, complex, refined style. It is very concentrated, crisp, and extremely long on the finish, with refined aromas/flavors (white peach, pineapple, linden blossom, lemon peel, honey). Superb quality. December 2012
