Winemaker Notes
The Robert Weil Kiedrich Grafenberg sets the standard for majestic, rich yet refined Rheingau Spatlese. First class aromas of spring flowers along with mandarin orange, papaya, mango and smoky slate. Only 8.5% alcohol but so, so loaded with flavor: dried apricot, fresh raspberry, sweet herbs and salty earthiness. Long, long finish, this is the real deal. Expensive and worth every penny. Drink it by itself; it’s that good.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
"I love this wine," says Wilhelm Weil, who remembers the 1971 that he loved so much when he was still a child and stole a sip or two from vat no. 07 whenever his parents were away. "The 2018 Kiedrich Gräfenberg Spätlese is one of the finest in living memories of Robert Weil," he says. In fact, the 2018, based on grapes picked at 103° Oechsle and bottled with 9.3% alcohol and 65 grams of residual sugar, is so clear, precise and fresh as well as flinty, like the generic Spätlese but with so much more intensity and concentration. On the palate, this Gräfenberg Spätlese is lush but enormously precise, piquant and firm, very elegant and complex, with fascinating acidity and phenolic as well as mineral grip and tension. A fascinating wine and one of the finest Spätlese in Germany from the 2018 vintage. So mouthwatering and stimulating due to a low pH level and 10 grams of total acidity. However, Weil says the freshness is thanks to the "Bernsteinsäure" that characterizes many of the 2018s.
-
Wine & Spirits
Gräfenberg, a steep, sheltered, south-facing site, lives up to its grand-cru status in this Spätlese. As with all of Weil’s vineyards, it’s farmed with minimum inputs and picked by hand with an army of workers; that allows for numerous passes through the vineyards to catch the grapes at their ultimate moment of ripeness, and before botrytis has set in. The wine fermented entirely in stainless-steel tanks, and the flavors sing: It tastes of sweet herbs and ripe peaches, citrus fruit and wildflower honey. Despite the sweetness, the wine ends clean, with an energy and tension from its powerful acidity. Gorgeous now, this will age well.
-
Wine Spectator
This white shows a little bit of reduction at the beginning, adding charm, while lemon paste, coriander and clementine notes follow. The acidity is slightly ciderlike, but is well-integrated into the wine, giving this an edgy profile. Intriguing and long. Give this time. Best from 2023 through 2035.
Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
Practically one long and bucolic hillside along the northern bank of the Rhein River, the Rheingau stretches the entirety of the river’s east to west spread from Hocheim to Rüdesheim.
Variations in elevation, soil types, and proximity to the Rhine cause great diversity in Rheingau Riesling. Some of the better Rieslings in warmer years come from the cooler and breezier sites at higher elevations. In cooler years, sites closer to the river may perform better.
In the village of Rüdesheim, slopes are steep and soils are stony slate with quartzite; Rieslings are rich and spicy, intense in stone fruit and show depth and character with age. World class Rieslings come from farther east on the river through Geisenheim, Johannisberg, Winkel, Oestrich and past Erbach as well, where soils of loess, sand, and marl alternate. Long-living, floral-driven and mineral-rich Rieslings come from the best of these sites.
Rheingau growers became early activists in promoting the dry style of Riesling, low yields and the classification of top vineyards, or Erstes Gewächs (first growths). Proximity to the metropolitan markets of Mainz, Wiesbaden, and Frankfurt keeps Rheingau in high reputation. While dry wines are the style here, Rheingau isn’t short of some amazing Auslesen, Beerenauslesen, and Trockenbeerenauslesen.
Rheingau doesn’t mess with many other grapes—in fact 79% of its total area is dedicated to Riesling. But it produces some fine Pinot noir, especially concentrated in Assmannshausen, a bit farther west from Rüdesheim.