We aim to have all wines be vintage specific. In the case the listed vintage is out of stock and you note you would like that particular vintage, we will inform you via email for approval to go ahead.
js95
James Suckling – “Very ripe yellow peach, mango and mandarin orange aromas with notes of floral honey and fresh basil. Ripe, substantial and well-structured, the fresh acidity give this precise contours. Seriously creamy on the mid-palate, but the finish is super clean. Made for the long-term.” - Stuart Pigott, JamesSuckling.com
rp95
Robert Parker/Wine Advocate – “The 2021 Kiedrich Gräfenberg Riesling Spätlese offers an intense, almost raisiny but also fresh and flinty bouquet with concentrated and candied fruit aromas. Rich and lush on the palate, with stimulating salinity and piquancy, this is a highly stimulating Riesling with lush, sweet and concentrated fruit. Very long and very complex, this is a fabulous Spätlese from the Gräfenberg grand cru. 9% stated alcohol.” - Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate
About This Wine
As is so often the case, Weil’s 2021 Gräfenberg Spätlese exhibits textbook balletic poise between the wine’s natural sweetness and laser-like acidity. The grapes for Weil’s Auslesen were harvested without any botrytis influence and you can read in the reviews it looks like a case of no harm done! These are the kind of iridescent wines that have helped shape Rheingau’s legend for the past two centuries.
| Type | White Wine |
|---|---|
| Varietal(s) | Riesling |
| Country | Germany |
| Region | Rheingau |
| Brand | Robert Weil |
| Vintage | 2021 |
About German Wines
Germany is the world’s northernmost fine wine producing region and thus requires its vines to endure some of the coldest temperatures. Fortunately, the country’s star variety, Riesling, does well in cooler climates and can survive even these freezing winters.
Germany Riesling is classified by ripeness at harvest which is also used to indicate the wine’s level of residual sugar. Picking earlier means the grapes have less time to ripen and the corresponding wines will be on the drier side; while picking later gives the grapes the opportunity full ripen and produce a lusciously sweet Riesling. The classifications from driest to sweetest: Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese and Eiswein (ice wine). While not as common to age white wines outside of Chardonnay, top tier German Rieslings can be aged for decades.
Other notable white grape varieties produced in Germany include Müller-Thurgau (a cross between Riesling and Madelaine Royale in the search for varieties that could withstand the extreme temperatures), Grauburguner (Pinot Gris) and Weissburguner (Pinot Blanc). The cooler German climate leads to earlier harvesting in general and gives German wines a distinctive character of higher acidity.
Historically red wine has always been harder to produce in the German climate. However, Pinot Noir grown in slightly warmer pockets of the country, has been highly successful in recent times. Going by the German name, Spätburgunder, German Pinot Noir can be elegant, structured and have vibrant acidity.
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