Alex's Notes on Reichsrat Von Buhl - and How This Producer is Like Tom Petty...
Affectionately known in the trade as simply "Buhl" or "VB", this is one of Germany's most prestigious producers. Their wines are so well-made, which of course has to come about in the vineyard as well as in the winery. You can't make great wine unless the fruit is great too! The winemakers tend to get all the glory but what goes on in the vineyard is arguably more important, a fact not lost on Von Buhl.
The estate was founded in 1849 in Deidesheim, a town in the Pfalz region (known in English as the 'Palatinate'), 112km south-west of Frankfurt and 60km north of Alsace.
The name ‘Reichsrat’ was added some years after it was founded, in recognition of Armand Von Buhl’s appointment to the German Imperial Council, underscoring the estate’s stature. While at the official opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, it was a Von Buhl Riesling (at that time one of the most highly priced wines in the world) that was famously served for the customary toast.
It has since 2005 been under the ownership of the Niederberger family who now own three of the most historic estates in the Pfalz. They embarked on a major revitalisation of the estate, while in 2013 appointed ex-Champagne Bollinger cellar master Matthieu Kauffmann to head up their winery team.
Along with Riesling and Spätburgunder (Germany's name for Pinot Noir), von Buhl have long been notable producers of traditional method sparkling (known in Germany as 'Sekt') so this appointment made a lot of sense, in consolidating and promoting their status as a top-tier producer of expertly crafted sparkling wines with extended lees ageing.
Today, von Buhl is regarded as a benchmark for everything they produce: Riesling and Pinot Noir, of course, but also their truly wonderful and well-priced fizz from both Riesling and the traditional Champagne varieties, of which I am unapologetically a fan, as are most of the British wine trade!
Their fizz went down a storm at a recent tasting event in London that I attended. As did their incredibly refreshing, fragrant still dry rosé - the first time I'd tasted it, and a revelation! What I particularly admire about von Buhl is that while they are a historic producer, their labels and wines fully embrace modernity and contemporary methods.
While not forgetting to mention their beautiful, elegant, profound Pinot Noirs....
By no means is quality fizz all about just the one region in Northern France. And Riesling Sekt continues to be massively underrated in some quarters (or perhaps just not known about), albeit it does vary greatly in quality and thus price. As is always the case, it's all about the producer.
Winemaking & Ethos
The winemaking team work almost exclusively with estate-grown fruit and vinify parcel by parcel to ensure individual vineyard site expression. Their ethos involves:
- spontaneous fermentations using yeasts that are naturally present in the vineyard and in the winery, rather than using commercial yeasts. This makes winemaking harder and less predictable but boosts complexity and terroir expression.
- Long lees ageing to enhance texture and complexity.
- Minimal intervention and strict winery hygiene: letting the fruit 'speak' with minimal use of sulphur dioxide (an antioxidant and antimicrobial agent added in powdered, liquid or gaseous form).
- hand-harvested fruit and strict sorting of fruit on arrival at the winery.
- Mostly older barrels, with a small proportion of new oak for their top-tier Pinot Noirs.
- With their Pinot Noir, they aim for a dry, elegant, finely-structured style, avoiding any overripe, heavily oaked characters. They don't want too much plump or plushness, the lack of which many people really admire about their Pinot Noirs: they achieve fine, chalk-edged tannins, moderate alcohol and a savoury, mineral expression. They have finesse and clarity, not power. They are just lovely! As are their label designs....
Terroir - the environment that dictates viticultural and winemaking methods, and shapes the wine
The estate consists of 56 hectares (138 acres) of prime vineyards with holdings in several of the Pfalz's most lauded sites. Soils encompass outcrops of volcanic basalt, sandstone, gravel, and limestone.
The Pfalz boasts one of Germany's warmest and driest climates and is protected by the Haardt mountains a short distance away to the south, meaning the vineyards are in something of a rain shadow. This allows for concentrated fruit but thanks to cool nights, the fruit retains freshness and avoids being overripe.
Sustainability
The estate has been certified organic since 2009 and forms part of their commitment to long-term stewardship:
- Zero use of herbicides and synthetic fertilisers for healthy soils, as enforced by their organic certification.
- A focus on biodiversity: cover crops and natural pest control (no insecticide).
- Low yields via thoughtful pruning and green harvesting (removing excess bunches).
- Gravity-flow in the winery i.e. minimal use of pumps to limit energy use (and some say pumps can slightly affect wine quality).
Like Tom Petty's albums, everything Von Buhl puts out is brilliant. One of the world's greatest wine estates!
