On the 15th of February Wilhelm Weil was in Oslo to present his wines. We taste through a range of wines, mostly from the Gräfenberg
(Erstes gewächs). First some brief notes on the making: Only organic fertilizers, hand-harvest, gentle (max 1,5 bar) whole
cluster-pressing, fermentation mostly with natural yeasts in stainless steel, only the most full-body of wines gets some old wooden
barrels, slow fermentation (6-10 weeks), quick and reductive bottling with some carbondioxide captured.
Rheingau riesling spätlese trocken 2004
As Wilhelm Weil these days only bottles one single-vineyard wine these days the rest are found in the blended wines, which are of
high quality. This had a straw/greenish colour. Quite elegant white fruity and quite ripe nose with some minerals. Dry and
concentrated in the mouth. Quite a lot of extract. Fine balance and cleansing acids. Price seems steep for a blended dry riesling,
but this is a fine wine. 12% alc., 8,6 g/L. residual sugar, 8,9 g/L. acids.
Kiedricher Gräfenberg riesling Erstes Gewächs 2004
Green/straw colour. Nose not unlike the blended spätlese, but with more intensity and a layer of more minerals and depth. Powerful
and concentrated in the mouth. But again greatly balanced, even the high alcohol. Great wine indeed. One of the best dry wines I
have tasted from th Rheingau. 13,8% alc., 9,6 g/L. rs, 8,8 g/L. acids.
Rheingau riesling kabinett 2004
Very light colour, slight greenish. More earthy nose, some flowers and slate. Much simpler wine. Medium bodied in the mouth. Sweet
kabinett. The good balance does not make up for the very anonymous fruit. Highly forgettable.
8% alc., 70,7 g/L. rs, 9,8 g/L. acids.
Kiedricher Gräfenberg riesling spätlese 2004
Straw/greenish colour. Young flowery and slatey nose. Some minerals, but this comes across as a very closed wine. Powerful and quite
sweet spätlese. Good balance. Fruit seems to have a lot of good things. Just won't show it now.
8% alc., 105 g/L. rs, 10,3 g/L. acids.
Kiedricher Gräfenberg riesling Beerenauslese 2004
Deep straw/greenish colour. Nose shos some botrytis, rasins, dried fruits and flowers. Still very young in the mouth, flowers. Quite
fat entrance and good acids. Good, but not a great BA. Was blown away by the next wine.
Kiedricher Gräfenberg riesling Auslese Gold cap Versteigerung-bottling 2002
Colour same as the wine above. Nose shows raisins and honey, some botrytis and flowers. A lot more depth and elegance than the BA.
Powerful and some fatness in the mouth. But greatly balanced and still elegant wine. Round and sugary now. Give it time. Great wine
for those that have some bottles in the cellar. 7,5% alc., 180-190 (?) g/L. rs, 10 g/L. acids.
Arnt Egil Nordlien
15/02/2006