Robert Weil Rheingau Riesling Spatlese 2017
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
2017 produced a small crop of intense, savory Rieslings at Robert Weil. This Spatlese is sourced from vineyards in Kiedrich and Eltville. Only 8.5% alcohol, this light, airy Spatlese exhibits aromas of Pink Lady apple, fresh mango, lemon zest and wet stone. Medium sweet in the classic Spatlese style, redolent of apricot marmalade, kiwi and pink grapefruit on the palate along with telltale saltiness from the slate soils.
Think spicy and salty with this beauty: Shrimp in chili paste, a Oaxacan mole, a Catalan paella, or good old spicy pork chops.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From younger vines in Kiedrich's top sites and harvested at 93/94° Oechsle, the 2017 Rheingau Riesling Spätlese offers an aromatic yet gently delicate nose with ripe yellow fruit scents and a coolish spiciness and slate note. Concentrated and piquant on the palate, this is a mineral and taut, very elegant Spätlese with lush fruit and a juicy-piquant finish that reveals a lingering purity, salinity and tension. Attention: this is extremely stimulating!
-
Wine Enthusiast
Exuberant white peaches and green plums burst from nose and palate of this juicy sweet-tart spätlese. It's delightfully fruity and forward yet vibrantly balanced with a piercing strike of lemon-lime acidity and just a hint of crushed minerals lingering on the finish. Enjoy now–2023.
Other Vintages
2021-
Tasting
Panel
-
Wine &
Spirits -
Robert
Parker
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine
Spectator
-
Wine &
Spirits -
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
-
Wine &
Spirits
-
Wine &
Spirits
-
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine
Spectator
Weingut Robert Weil, one of the region's younger estates, is located in the heart of Kiedrich, a village first documented in 950. Its profile is marked by the artworks and architecture of the Gothic parish church St. Valentine, aristocratic Gothic, Renaissance manors, and the tower of Scharfenstein castle, a former residence of the electors and archbishops of Mainz.
The estate cultivates vineyards planted 100% with Riesling grapes. Wilhelm Weil, the great-grandson of the estate's founder, carries on the tradition of uncompromising, quality-oriented practices in the vineyards and in the cellars. The historical manor house, the ultra-modern cellars and the vinothek stand side by side in a beautiful park – the same synthesis of old and new that is reflected in the estate’s philosophy of winemaking.
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.