Gutsverwaltung Geheimrat J. Wegeler Deinhard - Oestricher Eiserberg Riesling Auslese Auction Wine 1959

This report on the historic wine continues the series of research on exceptional Rieslings. The wine is the result of an extremely fortunate combination: one of the Rheingau's great traditional estates, one of its most renowned vineyards and a vintage of the century.

🏛️ The estate management of Geheimrat J. Wegeler Deinhard - a traditional Rheingau house

The label combines two of the most important names in German wine history: the Deinhard sparkling wine cellar and the Geheimrat J. Wegeler winery.

• Origins: The foundation stone was laid in 1861 when Julius Wegeler, then export representative of the famous Deinhard sparkling wine cellar, married the cellar heiress Emma Deinhard. After the death of his father-in-law, he took over the management of the flourishing company.

• Foundation of the winery: Wegeler, appointed Privy Councillor in 1893, used the economic success to realise his own vision of great Riesling. in 1882, he acquired the A. Wagner estate with first-class vineyards from Rüdesheim to Oestrich-Winkel, thus establishing the "Weingut Geheimrat J. Wegeler".

• Innovative spirit: This pioneering spirit gave rise to a revolutionary concept that still characterises wine production today. He had a press house built based on the principle of gravity in order to preserve the wines without the use of pumps and thus process them in a minimally invasive way.

🌍 The vineyard - Oestricher Eiserberg

The wine comes from the traditional Oestricher Eiserbergvineyard . Today, it is officially classified as a VDP.GROßE LAGE®. Historically, it was already listed in 1867 in the royal Prussian quality map of Rheingau sites under the highest quality category.

• Soil: The terroir is characterised by deep loess and loess-loam soils. These soils store heat and release it evenly, which ensures optimal ripening of the grapes.

• Exposure: The south-west facing slopes offer ideal conditions for slow and complete ripening of the Riesling grapes.

🍷 The 1959 vintage - a "vintage of the century"

The true magic of this wine lies in its year of birth, which isunanimously celebratedby connoisseurs as the "vintage of the century".

• Ideal conditions: 1959 offered ideal climatic conditions in the Rheingau with plenty of sunshine and a long, warm ripening period. This perfect weather led to an exceptionally high physiological ripeness of the grapes without them losing their characteristic acidity《.

• Auslese - The predicate of selection: The wine is classified as Riesling Auslese. This label stands for selective hand-picking, in which only fully ripe, often noble rotten grapes are selected. The result is a wine with a natural, elegant sweetness and impressive complexity and ageing potential.

🥂 Tasting note (exemplary)

As there is no direct tasting of this particular wine, an analysis of a similar Rheingau Riesling Auslese from the same legendary year shows what you can expect from such a wine today:

• Appearance: the colour is a bright, deep golden yellow.

• Nose: An intense and multi-layered bouquet with aromas of confit oranges, candied orange peel, some honey and ripe, yellow stone fruit. The botrytis note is balanced and present.

• Palate: The palate is medium to full-bodied with a moderate but present sweetness. The flavours of oranges and ripe fruit are accompanied by a balanced, but not excessive acidity, which provides a wonderful freshness.

• Finish: The finish is long and savoury, carried by a pleasant bitter orange note that provides tension and a lingering, elegant finish.

Serving recommendation: Enjoy this historic wine well chilled at around 10-12°C. It is an excellent accompaniment to foie gras, blue cheese or as the crowning glory of a meal.

📈 Market presence - a rarity of inestimable value

This wine can no longer be found regularly on the market. It only appears as an absolute rarity at renowned auctions.

• Exorbitant prices: The prices for wines of this quality class have reached historic dimensions. For example, at an auction in September 2019, a single 0.7-litre bottle of a Trockenbeerenauslese from the same house and vintage was set with a starting bid of 600 euros for an auction, although experts did not want to predict a limit price at the time.

• Auction history: At a later auction house, a hammer price of 552.75 pounds sterling (approx. 678 euros) was recorded for a bottle of Trockenbeerenauslese 1959 from the same house . However, there were clear signs of use ("signs of seepage", "bin-soiled labels"). An intact lot of 12 bottles of Beerenauslese of the same vintage, in the original wooden crates with straw sleeves, was listed by an auction house, which further emphasises the exceptional provenance and collector's value.

In conclusion, the Geheimrat J. Wegeler Deinhard - Oestricher Eiserberg Riesling Auslese 1959is a living testimony to the great winegrowing history of the Rheingau that is unrivalled. Today it has matured into a coveted collector's item of inestimable value.