Rudesheimer Drachenstein Riesling Eiswein
⏳ Drinking Window
2025 - 2060
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Blue cheese, fruit-based tarts, foie gras
✨ Technical Specifications
The Rüdesheimer Drachenstein, or 'Dragonstone' vineyard, sits high above the Rhine, where legend tells of dragons that once warmed themselves on the pure, heat-reflecting quartzite soils. It is from this mythical, wind-swept terroir that Weingut Leitz crafts its legendary Eiswein. Producing Eiswein is a high-stakes gamble with nature; grapes must remain on the vine into the freezing depths of winter, waiting for temperatures to plummet to at least -7 degrees Celsius. Harvested by hand in the dark, freezing hours of early morning, the grapes are pressed while still frozen. This process leaves the water behind as ice, yielding a tiny, precious quantity of highly concentrated, golden nectar. The intense sweetness of this dessert wine is brilliantly offset by the electric, mineral-driven acidity characteristic of the Drachenstein quartzite, creating a breathtakingly balanced and complex masterpiece.
🍾 About the Producer
With family viticultural heritage in Rüdesheim tracing back to 1744, Weingut Leitz began a dynamic modern era when Johannes Leitz took helm of the family estate in 1985. Through uncompromising dedication to quality, he transformed a modest 2.9-hectare holding into an internationally celebrated powerhouse focused on prime steep-slope parcels across the Rüdesheimer Berg, including iconic grand cru sites such as Berg Schlossberg, Berg Roseneck, and Berg Rottland. The estate's philosophy emphasizes meticulous vineyard stewardship and gentle cellar intervention to capture the slate- and quartzite-rich terroir with absolute purity and energy. Weingut Leitz is globally acclaimed for its multifaceted range of Rieslings, spanning razor-sharp dry single-vineyard bottlings, luxurious noble sweet Trockenbeerenauslese and Eiswein expressions, as well as refined Pinot Noirs and sparkling wines.
🍇 Grape Varieties
Riesling