(Photo ©Tom Hyland)
This is part two of my report on my visit to the Rheingau in early July; part one dealt with Georg Breuer and Leitz. This post is about my time spent touring and tasting wines at two other celebrated estates, Weingut Robert Weil and Weingut Staatsweinguter (Eltville).
Weingut Robert Weil, located in the town of Kiedrich (very near to Eltville) is regarded not only as one of Germany's greatest wine estates, but also one of the world's. In his book Deutschlands Weine 2014, author and one of the leading authorities on German wine, Gerhard Eichelmann lists Weil as only one of four wine estates from the Rheingau as a five-star producer (his top rating). (Eichelmann also rates Leitz and Georg Breuer - two producers I profiled in my previous post - in the same category; the only other Rheingau five-star producer in Eichelmann's book is Weingut Peter Jakob Kuhn).
This was my first experience with the wines of Robert Weil and it didn't take long for me to understand the reason for the high praise. Every wine here, from the basic Riesling to the most exquisite single vineyard offering, is beautifully made with great varietal purity. There is a definite thumbprint with these wines, as they all feature bright fruit with very good acidity- these are vibrant wines. Yes, the style is quite high tone in nature, so that approach is a winning one with both consumers and many critics, but I mention this if only to explain some of the appeal of the wines.
Here are notes on some of the wines I tasted during my visit, arranged from least to most expensive (as well as in terms of large to small production numbers):
2013 Riesling Trocken - This is the entry level wine at Weil; it is categorized as a gutswein (the winery brochure lists this category as "corresponding to the domaine"). Made entirely from Riesling from a few of their best single vineyards, this has delicate peach and apricot aromas with very good acidity - a hallmark of the cool 2013 vintage, one that German winemakers are delighted with - and balance. This actually has just a slight touch of sweetness, but you'd never notice it, when paired with roast chicken or a similar dish. Very tasty and a fine introduction to the Weil style of Riesling. Enjoy over the next 3-5 years.
2013 Kiedricher Riesling Trocken - This is an ortswein, a village wine; the grapes are entirely from three of the winery's vineyards in Kiedrich. Beautiful aromas of yellow peach, kiwi and peony. Medium-full, this has beautiful varietal focus, excellent complexity and a distinct mineral note (this increases as you start to taste the more limited single vineyard wines). This is dry and will drink well for 5-7 years.
Oak casks at Weingut Robert Weil (Photo ©Tom Hyland)
2013 Kiedrich Turmberg Riesling Trocken - This wine is an Erste Lage, a single vineyard that in this instance, the winery compares to a Premier cru (as in the classification of Burgundy in France). While the first two wines described above are fermented and aged in steel tanks, this wine is aged in large casks. The belief here is that this causes a bit of micro-oxygenation in the wines; this along with added texture from the addition of oak, increases the wine's complexity. Beautiful aromas of apricot, lilacs, lemon rind and chamomile. Medium-full with very good concentration; rich mid-palate and a long finish. Distinct minerality with a light nuttiness in the finish. Excellent balance of all components. Outstanding wine- enjoy now or in a decade.
2013 Kiedrich Grafenberg Riesling Trocken "GG" - This Grosse Lage wine is made from Weil's finest vineyard, located just behind the winery. The GG stands for Gross Gewachs, basically meaning Great Growth - think of this as a Grand Cru. GG is a relatively new descriptor for German wines to help identify the greatest vineyards in the country.
Very enticing aromas of yellow peach, apricot and orange roses - it's difficult to take your nose out of the glass with this wine! Medium-full with excellent concentration; an explosion of fruit on the mid-palate. Outstanding persistence; long, long finish. Ideal harmony, great varietal purity, lively acidity and a light minerality. This wine was also aged in large casks. Outstanding wine - this may be a classic! Best in 7-10 years, though it may age longer.
2013 Kiedrich Grafenberg Riesling Spatlese - Aged in large oak casks, as are all the single vineyard wines; Aromas of tea leaf, apricot pit, yellow peach and eucalyptus. Medium-full with excellent concentration. Long, long finish with a light, pleasing touch of sweetness. Outstanding complexity; great purity. Delicious! Lovely now - this will age for 10-12 years.
2013 Kiedrich Grafenberg Riesling Auslese - Beautiful aromas of ripe apricot, yellow peach and mango. Medium-full with excellent concentration. Rich mid-palate, with layers of flavor. Long, long finish with great persistence; moderate sweetness. Outstanding complexity and balance; this has great finesse and elegance and great varietal character. A great dessert wine! Best in 12-15 years.
Kloster Eberbach, Eltville (Photo ©Tom Hyland)
After seeing the glistening modern technology at Weil, it was quite a change visiting Kloster Eberbach in nearby Eltville. This site was established in 1136 by Cistercian monks, who produced wine at this facility. While there is a state of the art winery located not too far away, the barrels and press used by the monks for centuries are still present and can be seen on a tour of the Kloster.
At one end of this property, there is a tasting room where today's wine from the Staatsweinguter can be sampled. The Staatsweinguter is the state winery; this particular one is known as Hessische Staatsweinguter, as this particular state in Germany is the Hessische (there is also a state-owned winery at Assmannshausen; this known for Pinot Noir).
Detail of Steinberg Vineyard, Eltville (Photo ©Tom Hyland)
The Staatsweinguter produces wines from several excellent vineyards in the Rheingau, including Rauenthaler Baiken, Erbacher Marcobrun and Rudesheimer Berg Schlossberg, but arguably the most famous is Steinberg, close to the Kloster Eberbach. To say this vineyard has a great deal of history would be an understatement - it was planted in 1239! In the 18th century, walls were built around the vineyard to protect the vines from wild boar and also to act as a wind break. It is the site of some of the greatest German wines over the centuries; this is a monopole of the Staatsweinguter, who proudly call it "Germany's Clos Vougeot!"
Adjacent to the vineyard is an architecturally stunning winery, one of the most up to date and beautiful in the country. A free tour of the winery is available and wisely, the proprietors hand you a glass of three different wines at various stops of the tour. Again, all of this is free - very nice touch!
Detail of new winery at Steinberg (Photo from Kloster Eberbach website)
Here are notes on a few of the best Staatsweinguter wines I sampled during my visit:
2013 Steinberger Riesling Trocken - Aromas of apricot, yellow peach and lilacs. Medium-bodied with very good concentration. Good length in the finish, round and clean with very good Riesling character. Enjoy over the next 2-3 years.
2013 Wiesbadener Neroberg Riesling Trocken - Beautiful aromas of yellow peach, lilacs and a hint of tropical fruit (mango). Medium-bodied with very good varietal purity; very good acidity and a light minerality. Nicely made with very good complexity. Enjoy now or over the next 5 years.
2012 Rudesheimer Berg Schlossberg "GG" Trocken - Intriguing aromas of spearmint, peony and white peach. Medium-full with very good concentration. Rich mid-palate, very good acidity, light minerality. Lovely varietal purity and very appealing - this is quite dry and is delicious! Excellent to outstanding quality. Enjoy over the next 5-7 years - perhaps longer.
2011 Steinberger Riesling Spatlese - Very floral aromas with notes of yellow peach, magnolia and a hint of apricot. Medium-full with very good concentration. Light sweetness, with lovely balancing acidity and very good complexity. Lovely varietal purity as well as finesse. Excellent. Enjoy over the next 5-7 years.
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In the next post, a visit to producers in the Rheinhessen.
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