Special Guests: Thomas Chaffin (Export Manager) of Weignut Robert Weil, and Brian Maddux of Atlanta Wholesale Distributers.
Founded in 1875, Weignut Robert Weil is considered to be one of the Rheingau's younger wine estates. It is located in the heart of Kiedrich, a village first documented in the year 950. Kiedrich Turmberg and Kiedrich Grafenberg, the estate's top vineyards, are among the finest sites in Rheingau.
The estate cultivates 70 hectares (173 acres) of vineyards, of which 98% are planted with Riesling. Today, Wilhelm Weil, the great-grandson of the estate's founder, carries on the tradition of uncompromising, quality-oriented vineyard and cellar practices - a tradition that has been the hallmark of the winery for four generations.
1) 2008 Robert Weil Estate Riesling Dry - $24.99
This full-bodied, estate grown dry Reisling is crafted by one of Germany's most highly rated winemakers. It has a lovely floral bouquet, elegant fruit, fine minerality, and excellent acidity. This wine is a great match for fish, shellfish, and other light dishes.
2) 2009 Robert Weil Estate Riesling Tradition - 24.99
The whole concept at Weignut Robert Weil is to combine modern ideas with the long tradition of viticulture in the Reingau. This wine is a case in point. It's the estate's classic rendition of the traditional off-dry style that made the Rheingau famous. It is a very elegant wine, with flinty stone fruits in the aroma and a silky underpinning of apricot skin that persists on the medium-long finish.
3) 2009 Robert Weil Estate Riesling Kabinett Medium-Dry - $32.99
The Estate Kabinett is made to showcase the traditional, lighter style of Riesling from specially selected parcels adjacent to the top sites (no Kabinett is made from the single-vineyard sites, only Spatlese and above). This is surprisingly delicate, given the full-throated power that is typical of the estate's other wines. It is juicy and clean, with exceptionally pure fruit and an incisive focus, nice length, and a drying, stony finish.
---Abbie's extra notes: Rheingau is near the only part of the Rhein River that runs East-West. Kabinett is a level of quality. I asked Thomas if there was an easy way to tell on the label of the bottle, what the dryness or sweetness of the Riesling is. He said there was no easy way to tell, unless it says "Trocken" or "Halbtrocken" on the label (as this means dry or half-dry). However, the higher alcohol content (aka 12% or higher) usually indicates drier wines, the 10-12% are usually med-dry, and lower than 10% are sweeter. Although it also depends on the grams of sugar/liter as well.
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Come back to Le Caveau on Wednesday, Mar 7, for a Bordeaux wine tasting with Chateau Le Noble winemaker, Thomas Bonnefon!
ReplyDeleteWe plan to! Thanks!
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