The vineyard of Kiedrich Gräfenberg—or ‘hill of the counts’—has been used to designate Robert Weil’s finest wines since the site was officially classified as ‘Weinlage 1 Klasse’ in 1867. Home to Weil’s oldest vines (up to 80 years of age, with the majority on their own rootstock) it makes perfect sense that Wilhelm Weil decided that it was only from this site that his Grosse Gewächs would derive (despite the fact that he could actually release three GG’s from all his single vineyards).
This was raised for 12 months on lees in large, neutral oak Doppelstückfass (large Stockinger casks), but you would never know—the wine is so pure and precise—so this gives you an idea of the power of the base material. In spite of the wine’s intensity, it displays stunning clarity and eye-of-the-needle precision. Like I said, it has that classic ‘Grand Cru’ thing going on—effortless power, serious depth yet a lightness of being that makes it so damn easy and endlessly fascinating to drink. When you think of what we are paying now for top notch Grand Cru white Burgundies, this remains an absolute bargain, matching the best of them for class and quality. Few (if any!) could match it for longevity.