Rheingau Region

Wines

Robert Weil Estate

Rheingau, Germany

The Robert Weil estate is located in the beautiful Gothic village of Kiedrich.

Four generations and over a century ago Dr. Robert Weil, who was a Professor of German at the Sorbonne was forced to leave Paris because of the Franco-Prussian War (1870/1871). He subsequently joined his brother August in the Rheingau and in 1875 bought the estate manor from the heirs of Sir John Sutton, an English baronet who had settled in Kiedrich. At the same time he founded the Robert Weil winery with small vineyard holdings already in his possession.

Contacts throughout the world and the production of great wines brought rapid growth to the estate. Realizing the great market potential for his wines, Dr. Weil bravely launched an acquisition program of Kiedricher properties.

Today the estate is managed by Wilhelm Weil. After forming the partnership with Suntory, Wilhelm Weil immediately established a game plan for success, which in two short years vaulted the estate atop the Rheingau elite.

In the August 1993 issue of "Alles über Wein", Germany's leading wine publication, the 1992 Weil wines placed first amongst all Rheingau estates. The "Gault Millau Wine Guide" rates the Weil estate as one of the top five estates in all of Germany, and voted Wilhelm Weil as the 1997 wine maker of the year. Over one hundred years ago Weil's Kiedricher Rieslings were favorites at Queen Victoria's Court. In 1900, The Court of Austria purchased 800 bottles, which at the time sold for the astonishing price of sixteen Goldmarks per bottle. Emperor Wilhelm II, who was quite wine knowledgeable, was a big fan of the Kiedricher Rieslings from Weil. He enjoyed them at home and on his visits to foreign lands. More recently German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer was a fan of Weil's Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling.

With 65 hectares (160 acres) under vine, it is one of the largest estates in the Rheingau. Vineyard sites include the best sections of the great Kiedricher Gräfenberg (Gräfenberg translates as "Hill of the Counts" indicating that the Aristocracy always owned top vineyards), Wasseros and Sandgrub.

Wines from the Kiedricher Gräfenberg vineyard, which is 100% planted with Riesling, are bottled separately and under the single vineyard name. They represent the finest available from the Robert Weil estate. The remainder of the harvest is bottled as Robert Weil Riesling, Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), Vin Gris (Pinot Noir Rosé) and Riesling Sekt (methode champenoise).

The vineyards are planted 98% to Riesling and 2% to Spätburgunder.

The estate cellar houses rarities going back to 1893. A retrospective of a century of Robert Weil wines was recently conducted by Wilhelm Weil. Starting with the 1893 Kiedricher Berg Auslese and ending with the grandiose 1992 Kiedricher Gräfenberg TBA. The tasting included over twenty different vintages. Afterwards the tasters were rewarded with a feast that recreated one of Emperor Wilhelm II menus with eight courses appropriately matched by Robert Weil wines. During the fall 1997 auction of the Rheingau VDP the 1995 Kiedricher Gräfenberg TBA Gold Cap established a new world record for a young white wine: 3,795.00 DM.

The Robert Weil estate is not only a Rheingau V.D.P. member but also very active in the Rheingau Charta group.

The following is an outline of Wilhelm Weil's game plan for success:

1) Great care is taken in the maintenance of the vineyards. Fertilizer is applied if and only if soil analysis points to mineral imbalances. Green coverings in alternating rows to guarantee good humus supply for the soil. Pest control is used little and as infrequently as possible. To find the most ecologically sound solutions the estates analyses research from Geisenheim and the viticultural school in Eltville.

2) Great efforts are expended during the harvest. Every vintage the estate will attempt to select Auslese, BA, TBA and make Eiswein, without sacrificing quality at lower levels. In fact, mustweights at all quality levels far exceed the minimum threshold requirements. The pickers make up to seven passes through the vineyards and the harvest often lasts into December. Often yields go far below the average 55hl/ha.

3) Close attention is paid in the cellar to fully realize the potential of what nature provides. Vinification is reductive. No Süssreserve is used. Fermentation is arrested by cooling the fermenting must. The finished wine is stabilized by sterile filtering. The wines are aged in neutral wooden casks before bottling.