| Region of production: | Rheingau |
| Winery Location: | Kiedrich |
| Year Established: | 1875 |
Vineyard Holdings
90 ha total
planted 100% to Riesling
- Kiedricher Turmberg: 3.8 ha Erste Lage monopole; mostly phyllite soil
- Kiedricher Gräfenberg: 9.05 ha Grosse Lage; mostly phyllite soil
- Kiedricher Klosterberg: 6.2 ha Erste Lage; mostly phyllite soil
Top Wines Produced
- Gräfenberg Riesling GG
- Gräfenberg Rieslings: Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese and Eiswein
- Turmberg Rieslings: Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese
- Klosterberg Rieslings: Spätlese and Auslese
Average Total Production
- 600,000 bottles
Summary
Dr. Robert Weil (1843-1923), a former professor of the Sorbonne in Paris, purchased his first vineyards in the village of Kiedrich in 1867. The Franco-Prussian war of 1870-1871 brought his Sorbonne days to an end, and in 1875 he increased the size of his holdings and focused all of his energies on winemaking, marking the official „starting point“ of the winery. By the 1890s, the wines of the Rhineland were some of the world’s most popular and expensive. Weil’s wines were selling internationally and received much acclaim – not to mention fetched high prices. The estate still has three bottles of the 1893 Auslese in their cellar, a wine that was a favorite of Queen Victoria, Czar Nicholas II and Emperor Franz Joseph of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Today the estate is managed by Wilhelm Weil, great-grandson of Robert; he has been credited for bringing the quality of the estate back to its highest levels.
Style & Vinification Techniques
The estate has vineyards planted at a density of 6,000 vines/ha. With a goal of permitting long hang times for the grapes, Weil utilizes green harvesting, hard pruning, green cover and canopy management. For their best vineyards, Weil’s yields are between 45 and 50 hl/ha, all hand-harvested – the top Prädikat wines are picked berry by berry with 15-17 tries! Weil’s Gutswein, Ortswein and some Prädikatswein are fermented with cultured yeasts and fermented and aged in stainless steel. The late-harvest wines ferment with ambient yeasts in 1,200-liter stück and are aged in the those same vessels. These wines are also macerated for several hours, and 20% of the wines are fermented on their skins, then blended into the final cuvée later in the process.
Producer Website: Robert Weil