Robert Weil – the home of Grosses Gewächs Riesling

Weingut Robert Weil are a Riesling Château in their own right, with 90ha of vineyards sprawling the Rheingau and almost two centuries of history dedicated solely to the production of Riesling wines,  considered by many to be some of the absolute best in Germany. Known for fine and expressive wines, their single varietal range boasts impressive diversity, both in style and complexity.

By the end of the 19^th century, Weil’s Rieslings were found on the tables of Europe's high nobility, as well as on wine lists of grand hotels across Europe. But this doesn’t make it a thing of the past. Instead, it is steeped in tradition with a modern focus on the future, and with fourth generation winemaker Wilhelm Weil at the helm for the past 30 years, Weingut Robert Weil has continued to be an extraordinary force in raising the international profile of German Riesling, and establishing the varietal as one of the finest, most versatile grapes in the world. From bone-dry to lusciously sweet, and everything in between, these are wines suitable for any occasion, time, and place.

Shaping their wines’ quality and distinctive identity, Robert Weil’s vineyards sit on the Rheingau’s steep slopes with perfect exposure to the sun, along the outliers of the Taunus ridge and mainly from three elevated vineyards – Klosterberg, Turmberg, and Gräfenberg. With roots firmly set on the region’s finest sites, their vines range in age to over 50 years. Quality and uncompromised attention to detail define everything they do. Their organic and quality-oriented values are thoroughly implemented in the vineyard, with practices ranging from stringent pruning and careful canopy management to organic fertiliser and the elimination of all herbicides.

Year upon year, Robert Weil deliberately aims to achieve low yields and a fully ripened crop. Lasting a minimum of 8-10 weeks, harvest is an incredibly strenuous time. As many as 17 passes of intensive and selective hand harvesting take place on these steep slopes to ensure only the very best grapes make it to the winery.

The king of white wines

Often described as the king of white wines, Riesling is unquestionably one of the finest grapes in the world. From Alsace to Australia, and Ontario to the Finger Lakes, the world is presented with many outstanding examples of this remarkable varietal. But it is Germany who remains unbeatable when it comes to the ultimate expression of Riesling.

Producing some of the most intense, aromatic, and long-lived white wines, Riesling is notable for its high acidity, which allows the wine to age for many years, but also for the many different styles, ranging from dry to lusciously sweet. However, it takes hard work to get this late ripening grape fully ripe in cool growing conditions, and when this is achieved, they’re from the best sites – those with prime conditions and of the highest quality. This is one of the reasons why ripeness is so prized in Germany.

The scenic Rheingau, home to Weingut Robert Weil, has a pronounced diurnal cycle and cool nights. This only reinforces Riesling’s natural tendency to hold on to its acidity as its sugar levels rise. Packed with flavour, its characteristics range from green apple and floral notes, to citrus, very ripe stone fruits and even tropical fruits, depending on the period the grapes have been left on the vine.

Perfectly enjoyable as an aperitif, Rieslings are also stunning food wines. And while historically this noble, non-French grape has been associated with sweet wines, producers from Germany’s best vineyard sites have been turning to the production of dry – trocken – wines, and Robert Weil is no exception, as much of this producer’s pride lies on a category called Grosses Gewächs.

Ripeness matters – but so does origin

It is undeniable that the quality and unmistakable identity of a wine originates in the vineyard. That is one thing the German law overlooks when it comes to winegrowing, focusing solely on the ripeness of the fruit.

To correct this, German producers of top sites took matters into their own hands. Heavily inspired by the Bordeaux and Burgundian classification systems, Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP) is a German organisation, created and run by producers to promote the country’s top wines and estates, championing the creation of winegrowing maps.

Members must adhere to strict rules including low yields, higher starting must weight, selective hand harvesting and five-yearly inspections. It is a system that includes both origin and ripeness, two elements of quality intrinsically connected. The designation for the highest quality German vineyards is called Grosse Lage, the country’s take on Grand Cru. These are complex wines that express single sites and are known for their potential long ageing. Dry wines within this category are known as Grosses Gewächs.

The finest of the finest Weingut Robert Weil’s wines is the Gräfenberg Trocken Grosse Gewächs. Complex, intense and elegant, with fresh citrus and stone fruit aromas, floral hints, and steely minerality. This is the absolute best dry wine the estate has to offer, which will continue to age and develop for decades to come.

This Riesling is made with grapes grown exclusively at the Gräfenberg, an impressive site that can, and does, produce all the styles of Riesling with a unique sense of provenance; from dry to lusciously sweet, they are always an accurate reflexion of the terroir. Located above the village of Kiedrich, it belongs almost exclusively to Weingut Robert Weil, which owns 9.7ha of 10.5, alongside only two other producers.

Regarded as one of the finest sites, Gräfenberg has stony, fragmented soils, where phyllite is a major component, interspersed with loess and loam. This soil composition, with a high proportion of stones and excellent water retention, provides the site with an optimal and balanced water supply. Perfectly reflective of their terroir, wines from the Gräfenberg show an intense minerality, nuanced elegance and a long, powerful finish.