Maker:
The Rheingau was historically Germany’s most revered vineyard region and once produced the world’s most expensive wines. You only need to glance at a wine map of Germany to see why. This is Riesling’s Côte d’Or; a series of sheer, south-facing, rocky slopes that maximise exposure to the sun and protect the vines from the bitter northern winds. It is this confluence of natural elements that enables Riesling to perfectly ripen in this very marginal, northern climate. With some of the highest and most admired vineyards in the region, Robert Weil is today, the superstar of the Rheingau.
Vineyard:
Based in the town of Kiedrich, Weil’s wines are fuelled by three epic, high-altitude, south-facing vineyards in Klosterberg, Turmberg and most famously, Gräfenberg, all situated in the foothills of the Taunus Mountains. From these historic sites, Wilhelm Weil, a pioneer of ‘earth to glass’ wine growing, guides Rheingau Riesling to its most seamless, precise expression and, in doing so, produces some of the world’s most inspirational examples of the grape.
While Wilhelm Weil’s meticulous, everything by hand, berry by berry, approach, is a key factor in understanding the remarkable precision of these wines, it is, as always, the vineyards that dictate the ultimate quality and personality of the wines produced. These steep, stony, mineral-rich vineyards are managed in order to maximise their terroir expression. Herbicides are never used, and as the aim here is to encourage life in the soil, only organic manure is applied, and cover crops are grown to add to the organic matter. Grapes are harvested by hand with as many as 17 passes through the vineyard, ensuring only the most pristine and perfectly ripe grapes make it into each wine. In the winery, all fruit receives a pre-ferment maceration, typically between 6-24 hours (or a lengthy 72 hours for the Erstes Gewächs). There is a very gentle pressing of whole berries, the musts are allowed to start fermenting naturally and spend varying times on lees subject to the cuvée. The resulting wines are exhilaratingly pure and ultra-precise Rieslings, each intense in both fruit and mineral punch.
Winestyle/Cuvee:
This site was originally purchased by Dr Robert Weil in the 19th century, using the dowry from his marriage to Emilie von Vacano (a descendant of the Vacano family in Lombardy). The wine from this parcel, called Monte Vacano (the Hill of Vacano) was always produced and bottled alone. It was used only for celebratory occasions and never released for sale. Following Weil's death in 1921, the tradition of Monte Vacano fell dormant, and the fruit was incorporated into a regular Gräfenberg bottling.
Compared to the Gräfenberg GG, Monte Vacano trades power and richness for exceptional purity, elegance and detail. Resurrecting the old custom, 2021 marks the fourth Riesling in a century made solely from this special lieu-dit. It was harvested in October, and the grapes were whole bunch-pressed into two ancient refurbished Stückfässer (1,200-litre casks) where the wine fermented wild and spent almost two years on lees before bottling.
Tasting Note:
Nose - Pure, Intense, Saline & Mineral
Riesling that opens with a pure, intense, even rich, finely saline and mineral nose with citrus notes.
Palate - Elegant, Textural, Precise
Round and elegant on the palate, this is a full-bodied, rich, intense, textural, enormously long, complex and saline, stimulatingly precise and tannic Monte Vacano with the power and richness.
Finish - Stony, Herbal, Savoury
Then comes the tidal wave of a finish that is stony and herbal in the best sense. From the steepest and stoniest section of the Grafenberg.
Bottled in July 2023 after 21 months on the first lees (one year after the Gräfenberg), the 2021 Monte Vacano, from a particular plot of the Gräfenberg, is an intensely yellow Riesling that opens with a pure, intense, even rich, finely saline and mineral nose with citrus notes. Round and elegant on the palate, this is a full-bodied, rich, intense, textural, enormously long, complex and saline, stimulatingly precise and tannic Monte Vacano with the power and richness of the Gräfenberg paired with the precision and salinity of the Castellum Montis. It is more hedonistic, although from a cooler year, but very, very long, saline and savory. Definitely a wine made for generations. - Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate, 97 points.
A huge and compact wine for the challenging 2021 vintage, but with the firm structure and vivid acidity that are typical for the vintage. Complex aromas of red gooseberry, white peach, fresh herbs and just a hint of sealing wax. Then comes the tidal wave of a finish that is stony and herbal in the best sense. From the steepest and stoniest section of the Grafenberg. - Stuart Pigott, JamesSuckling.com, 97 points.
In the fragrance still closed, slate savouriness, zesty notes, also some overripeness. Yeast. In the mouth the wine is intensely rich, very dense, gripping, with firm acidity and well-integrated wood barrel influence. Seems very compact, concentrated and complex. - Ulrich Sautter, 96 Points.
The Finer Details
Style - White Wine
Varietal - Riesling
Country - Germany
Region - Rhiengau
Vintage - 2021
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 13%
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