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 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 Grosses Gewächs would derive (even though he could release three GGs from his single vineyards).
Despite the high quality of the Turmberg and Klosterberg, this is clearly on another level. It’s finer, even more complete and subtly powerful—a wine of obvious Grand Cru class. This year, the GG was raised for 10 months (instead of 12) on lees in large, neutral oak Doppelstückfässer (large Stockinger casks). When you think of what we are paying now for top-notch Grand Cru white Burgundy wines, Weil’s remains an absolute bargain, matching the best of them for class and quality. Few (if any!) could match it for longevity.