Forster Jesuitengarten Riesling Spätlese 2010  17

2009 Grosses Gewächs:
Ungeheuer Forst Grosses Gewächs 2009 Pfalz 17,5                    
Pechstein Forst Grosses Gewächs 2009 Pfalz 16,5                  
Paradiesgarten Deidesheim Grosses Gewächs 2009 Pfalz 17          
Kirchenstück Forst Grosses Gewächs 2009 Pfalz 16,5               
Reiterpfad Ruppertsberg Grosses Gewächs 2009 Pfalz 17                

100 sure-fire reds  4 Dec 2010 by Jancis Robinson/FT
“Below is a selection of favourites for current drinking from the thousands of wines I taste each year. Pinot Noir and burgundy feature strongly as I think they go so well with celebratory meals and their often sweet accompaniments. ..”
Von Buhl Spätburgunder 2008 Pfalz
Evidence of Germany´s proficiency with the red burgundy grape. Pale ruby with very pure-yet-sweet mushroomy flavours. Pinot Noir at its most delicately succulent and with lovely freshness. But the opposite of a powerhouse. Best drunk as soon as it´s opened.


Grosse Gewächse 2008:
PECHSTEIN Forst Grosses Gewächs 2008 Pfalz 17
JESUITENGARTEN Forst Grosses Gewächs 2008 Pfalz 17+
KIRCHENSTÜCK Forst Grosses Gewächs 2008 Pfalz 17
REITERPFAD Ruppertsberg Grosses Gewächs 2008 Pfalz 17
UNGEHEUER Forst Grosses Gewächs 2008 Pfalz 16,5+

The following notes were taken at a presentation of von Buhl´s 2008s in London, September 2009.

In 2008 the vegetation had an early start, with the flowering in very early June. Moderate summer. There was botrytis at the end of August. Yields were low due to hail on 13 May with a second hailstorm at the end of July. They picked early, starting on 15 Sep. Riesling for fizz to start with, then Weissburgunder. Riesling for still wines started in October. Cold nights meant very high acidity (compared with 1996) but the 2008s have ripe acidity thanks to their long vegetative period. Von Buhl has been 100% organic since 2005 on 62 ha, certified from 2009. Average yield of von Buhl is 50-55 hl/ ha.
Grosses Gewächs yields this year were just 15-30 hl/ ha.

DRY 2008S
von Buhl Riesling trocken 2008 Pfalz 15 Drink 2009-11
Light, floral, crisp lime fruit. Light, gentle nose with a bit more concentration and focus on the mid- palate, with moderate length. Bitter finish, with tart grapefruit fruit. 13% (RH)

von Buhl, Ungeheuer Forst Grosses Gewächs 2008 Pfalz 16.5+ Drink 2010-20
Violets, riper stone fruit and yellow plum flavours upfront, though still very immature. Zingy acidity that counterpoints the unctuous body well, long finish and lots of potential to develop. Lovely clarity of fruit. 12.5% (RH)

von Buhl, Pechstein Forst Grosses Gewächs 2008 Pfalz 17 Drink 2010-20
Rather discrete nose, banana, melon, elegant and dainty style. Smooth and silky mouthfeel, that coats the tongue first then cleanses it with pin- sharp acid. Impressive but compressed range of flavours, needing bottle age to flourish: slate, floral, lemon sherbet, grass, metallic tang, full and complete. 12.5% (RH)

von Buhl, Jesuitgarten Forst Grosses Gewächs 2008 Pfalz 17+ Drink 2010-20
Pears, white flowers, opulent and broad- shouldered: quite muscly, in fact with a strong lime citrus flavour complemented well by the lifted aromatics, spice, smoke, cordite and charming textured mouthfeel. Very good. 13% (RH)

von Buhl, Kirchenstück Forst Grosses Gewächs 2008 Pfalz 17 Drink 2010-20
Powerful floral and spice nose which has a distinctly peppered style on the palate. Formidable concentration, excellent balance, full body, smart acidity and a lively tropical citrus fruit throughout. 13% (RH)

von Buhl, Reiterpfad Ruppertsberg Grosses Gewächs 2008 Pfalz 17 Drink 2010-20
Bright floral notes upfront, lime juice, blossom, grapefruit, tropical fruit. Fresh limes depicted with excellent draughtsmanship on the palate, really bold and fleshy. 13% (RH)

SWEET 2008S
von Buhl, Ungeheuer Forst Riesling Auslese 2008 Pfalz 17.5 Drink 2009-25
Marmalade, honeycomb, lots of sweetness, lots of lime fruit and acidity that rushes round the mouth. Invigorating! Lovely layers of flavour, blossom, candy, citrus, tropical melon and fine balance. 11.5% (RH)
von Buhl, Reiterpfad Ruppertsberg Beerenauslese 2008 Pfalz 16.5 Drink 2009-18
Lanolin, honey, very unctuous and sticky on the palate. Treacle, lime blossom, thick and satisfying, with crystallised citrus- peel fruit. 8.5% (RH)
von Buhl, Kirchenstück Forst Beerenauslese 2008 Pfalz 16.5 Drink 2011-18
Rather tame nose but a sudden sluice of fruit on the palate, rounded with honey, treacle, blossom and stone fruits. 10.5% (RH)

von Buhl, Ungeheuer Forst Beerenauslese 2008 Pfalz 17.5 Drink 2009-29
270 g/ l RS.
Deliciously gloopy on the palate, but an astute acidity to freshen the palate. Cavernous depth of flavour: sherbet, marmalade, treacle, demerara, sliced lime, blossom, apricot, peach, pear. 6% (RH)

OLDER VINTAGES
von Buhl, Reiterpfad Ruppertsberg Grosses Gewächs 2007 Pfalz 17 Drink 2010-20
A whiff of kerosene, over the top of floral aromatics, bouncy citrus fruit, apricot marmalade and some butter and dairy notes on the finish. Big concentration again. Creamy texture on the palate - thanks to lees- stirring, it seems - and lengthy finish. 13% (RH)

von Buhl, Reiterpfad Ruppertsberg Grosses Gewächs 2006 Pfalz 17+ Drink 2009-20
Funky vegetal notes, very concentrated and lush. The potent vegetal notes really dominate the nose - green beans and cabbage. Creamy and rich, chewy texture, high acid, herbaceous characters, a pinch of spice - very complete and lots of development. 13% (RH)

von Buhl, Reiterpfad Ruppertsberg Grosses Gewächs 2005 Pfalz 17.5 Drink 2009-15
Petroleum, steel, gunflint, citrus, generous and ripe with a toast and honey complexity emerging too. Stone fruits throughout and a lengthy decay. 13% (RH)

von Buhl, Reiterpfad Ruppertsberg Grosses Gewächs 2004 Pfalz 17 Drink 2009-15
Ripe lemon, butter, dairy, tropical fruit with peppery spice. Some people said this tasted like fine red burgundy - I didn´t see that. Definitely good though, and a nice combo of Riesling´s trademark acidity in a full bodied style. 13% (RH)

von Buhl, Reiterpfad Ruppertsberg Grosses Gewächs 2003 Pfalz 16.5 Drink 2009-12
A tiny hint of sweetness on the finish here, in harmony with the honey- like character on the palate, and quite a syrupy mouthfeel - perhaps lacking a bit of acid? 13% (RH)

von Buhl, Reiterpfad Ruppertsberg Spätlese trocken 1994 Pfalz 16.5 Drink 2009-12
Sweetcorn, cabbage, treacle - very pongy. Concentrated and lengthy with a beautiful burnt sugar finish that has dogged persistence. The complexity is indubitable - smoke, steel, citrus, caramel, vegetables - but the nose is perhaps a bit dominated by vegetal character. 13% (RH)
von Buhl, Deidesheimer Vogelsang Auslese 1946 Pfalz 17 Drink up
Dark amber, spectacular nose of clotted cream, caramelised nuts, cooked fruit, rather dry on the palate (although this was tasted straight after the 270 g/ l BA above) with chalky, fine- grained texture and a slight mustiness on the finish. Intoxicating nose, but the palate suggests drinking up now. (Vintage was revealed only after we had tasted it!)
(RH)

Von Buhl both dry and sweet

9 Dec 2008 by Julia Harding MW
Reichsrat Von Buhl’s first-ever tasting in London focused on their dry Grosses Gewächs wines because although 85% of Von Buhl’s production is dry, they sell very little dry wine in the UK, where they are better known for their sweet wines. The line-up included a flight of 2007s followed by a small vertical tasting of the Forster Kirchenstück (pictured) that showed the critical influence of each vintage’s conditions and the superb quality of the 2007. To keep the dentists in business, we finished with a handful of excellent sweet 2007s. The main stockists in the UK are Jascots, Berry Bros and Harrods. A selection of Von Buhl wines is available in the US, imported by Rudi Wiest (there´s a helpful state by state guide to distributors on their site).

Flight 1: 2007 Grosse Gewächse

The 2007 growing season got off to an early start – flowering began three weeks earlier than average on 22 May (7 Jun in 2008). May was perfect for even flowering, which is very important for even ripeness later in the year. Wet and cool July. Cloudy August. The fine weather in Sep and Oct allowed the harvest to be stretched out: for all Grosse Gewächse vineyards it was at least 145 days between flowering and harvest, so this year more than ever shows the characteritics of the vineyard because the grapes are fully ripe.

All the Grosse Gewächse are fermented in large, old oak casks (2,500 litre). They spend two months on primary lees and are first racked in April or May after the harvest. They all have alcohol around the 13% mark.

Reichsrat von Buhl, Ruppertsberger Reiterpfad Riesling Grosses Gewächs 2007 Pfalz 17.5+ Drink 2009-20
The terraced vineyard is on the south side of Deidesheim and very protected – from frost in winter and sun in the summer – by neighbouring walls and buildings. Limestone influence (calciferous sediment courtesy of the Rhine rift) and red sandstone. Harvested 5 and 8 Oct. Yield c 30 hl/ha. TA 7.2 g/l, RS 5.8 g/l.
Quite floral on the nose and even more so on the palate. Very powerful and perfumed but also lifted by fine fresh streak of apricot. Quite dense and long. Also has some red fruit notes. Rich and dry. 12.8% (JH)

Reichsrat von Buhl, Forster Ungeheuer Riesling Grosses Gewächs 2007 Pfalz 17.5 Drink 2009-19
Very complex soils: basalt, chalk, sandstone, loam, loess, quite heavy soil giving backbone but also tight acidity too. A massive limestone plate at a depth of about 2 m provides a very efficient water supply. Often produces a saltiness and spicy flavours in the wine. The total vineyard area is 29 ha and Von Buhl own 19% of that. Harvested 11 Oct. Yield: 35 hl/ha. TA 7.8 g/l, RS 7.7 g/l.More oily, savoury, quite closed on the nose and less fragrant than the Reiterpfad. Does have a salty and spicy finish. Powerful and dry. Strong mineral backbone but clothed in ripe lemony fruit wth fine acidiy. 12.6% (JH)

Reichsrat von Buhl, Forster Pechstein Riesling Grosses Gewächs 2007 Pfalz 18 Drink 2010-25
Pechstein means ‘pitch stone’ and the soils here are black basalt, the mineral inheritance of ancient volcanic activity. A warm mesoclimate and basalt also gives salty flavours and long life. Harveste 9, 10, 16 Oct. Yield 32 hl/ha. TA 7.5 g/l, RS 6.4 g/l.
Smoky, oily on the nose and really fine tight mineral structure. Also a little fresh herbal note. Really tight and fine and long with a long very slightly salty finish. But there’s also the ripeness of peach and apricot fruit. Tighter and leaner than the Kirchenstück but not lean at all. 13.1% (JH)

Reichsrat von Buhl, Forster Jesuitengarten Riesling Grosses Gewächs 2007 Pfalz 18 Drink 2010-25
This is a small vineyard – just 7 ha – between Kirchenstück and Pechstein, and Von Buhl own one-third of it. Important clay component, as in Kirchenstück,but generally cooler so with a tendency towards more marked acidity. Only 24 hl/ha. Harvested 1 and 9 Oct. TA 7.3 g/l, RS 5.3 g/l.
More delicate and citrussy on the nose but then perfumed across the mid palate and long lingering fragrance coupled with weight and depth. Beautiful fruit quality and concentration but still finishes fresh. 13.3% (JH)


Flight 2 – Kirchenstück vertical
Kirchenstück is a mere 3.7 ha and von Buhl have about a quarter of that. Soils are a heterogeneous mix of basalt, sandstone, limestone scree and clay. The vineyard is protected and thus warmed by a sandstone wall that gives off heat during the day that then benefits the vines at night, producing wines that tend to be rich, exotic and concentrated.

Reichsrat von Buhl, Forster Kirchenstück Riesling Grosses Gewächs 2007 Pfalz 19 Drink 2010-25
Wonderfully complex yet delicate aromas: mineral, fine pure citrus, delicately floral, slightly smoky. But also a note of celery seed and almonds. Powerful, rich and really opulent and so long. Mouthfilling but wth a wonderful acid streak. Powerful spice on the finish and yet with a lightness of touch to make it dance. Excellent balance. Stunning. RS 8.8 g/l, yield just 20 hl/ha. 13.7% (JH)

Reichsrat von Buhl, Forster Kirchenstück Riesling Grosses Gewächs 2006 Pfalz 17 Drink 2008-18
Heavy botrytis year. But stayed mainly on the skin not in the juice. 30-40% botrytis but less influence than when it gets deeper. The hectare of vines produced just 500l of wine, so it was fermented in tank and bottled in magnums, with total acidity at more than 10 g/l. RS 8.7g/.
Already quite developed and very intense. Deeper coloured than the 07, quite oily. Floral and spice and so exotic but sems a little older than 2006? Very savoury, spicy, fat and powerful. Warm and rich and a big wine but good acdity to balance. Very stongly marked by the vintage and the botrytis. Quite heavy and oily texture. Warm on the finish as the 14.5% alcohol shows through. Still impressive. (JH)

Reichsrat von Buhl, Forster Kirchenstück Riesling Grosses Gewächs 2005 Pfalz 17.5 Drink 2008-18
Closer in style to the 2007 vintage. Going through a closed phase at the moment, and has a slightly vegetal nose. Fermented in wood. RS 7.7 g/l.
Much tighter and more focused on the nose than the 2006. Deeply spiced citrus. Much fresher and more focused on the palate – makes the 2006 seem a bit heavy. Very fine, pure, crystalline. Much more linear. (JH)

Reichsrat von Buhl, Forster Kirchenstück Riesling Grosses Gewächs 2003 Pfalz 17 Drink 2008-12
Hottest and sunniest of the vintages tasted in this line-up and the highest must weights – perhaps not the best conditions for Riesling and it won’t have as long a life as the 2007 will. Currently seems less ripe than the 2005. Stainless-steel ferment to protect the fruit in the warmer vintage. RS 7.4 g/l.
Intense orange and apricot aromas with the merest hint of petrol development giving also some spice and honey. Opens up to become more floral. Spicy and fresh and very different – almost a sour quality on the palate. Long sour pineapple ripeness. Powerful spicy finish. More than 13%. (JH)

Reichsrat von Buhl, Forster Kirchenstück Riesling Grosses Gewächs 2002 Pfalz 16.5 Drink 2005-16
Elegant vintage. Driest wine of this vertical tasting with only 4.9 g/l residual sugar.
Very different from and less opulent than the 2003. More woody and herbal with the power less well balanced by ripeness. Tastes very dry. Pretty eye-watering but it still has the richness of the vineyard. 13.5% (JH)

Reichsrat von Buhl, Forster Kirchenstück Riesling Spätlese trocken 1996 Pfalz 17 Drink 2000-18
This was made before the Grosses Gewächs classification was established so it’s a dry Spätlese and has lower must weight. (GG has to gave > 90 °Oechsle and this had 88.) Not as ripe as they would normally like – greener flavours and more malic acid. But great vineyards can still produce good wine in lesser vintages. RS 7.6 g/l.
Slightly strange, slightly cheesy nose initially. Opening up, more honey and lemon and very very crisp acidity giving finesse on the finish. Better on the palate than on the nose. Again mouthwatering acidity, and spicy power. Alcohol less than 12.5%. (JH)

Flight 3: sweeter 2007s

Reichsrat von Buhl, Forster Ungeheuer Riesling Auslese 2007 Pfalz 18.5 Drink 2009-22
They look at the Auslese as a sort of sister to the Grosses Gewächs brother. Same price level. They prefer less botrytis on their Auslesen than in the Mosel (with slightly higher alcohol levels) and they should not be driven by botrytis – intended to be lighter than that. RS 86 g/l, TA > 10 g/l.
Most pure citrus of all the wines so far: intense but very fresh apricot and orange but with a lemon streak and the merest hint of flowers. Gently sweet and very fine and a very delicate smoky note. Charged but fine. Very slightly smoky and mineral. Great tangy length. 11% (JH)

Reichsrat von Buhl, Ruppertsberger Reiterpfad Riesling Beerenauslese 2007 Pfalz 19 Drink 2010-30
A vineyard parcel of just 1 ha and total production of 300 bottles. RS 249 g/l, TA > 15 g/l.
Marked smoky orange botrytis nose. High viscosity. Rich but not at all cloying and still beauifully tight and fresh and pure. Fluid, silky even though it is rich. Goes on and on. Not sure what the actual alcohol it was harvested at 152 °Oechsle – that’s a potential alcohol of around 19%. (JH)

Reichsrat von Buhl, Forster Pechstein Riesling Eiswein 2007 Pfalz 18 Drink 2015-35
This is the first Eiswein vintage from this vineyard. 190 °Oechsle at harvest. Picked 21 Dec (most growers picked 20 Dec). TA 10.6 g/l, RS 299 g/l.
Delicate smoked orange nose. Then rich and very dense but also fresh and cheeky. Much better freshness than often in Eiswein, which I tend to find just too sweet for my taste. (JH)

Reichsrat von Buhl, Forster Kirchenstück Riesling Auslese 1966 Pfalz 18.5 Drink 1970-2020
Less reductive winemaking than now. With age, Pfalz Rieslings tend to develop more tea and herbal or floral flavours than the kerosene aromas of the Mosel.
Quite deep gold. Very complex nose: herbal and spicy, touch of honey with some freshness of sour grapefruit, some petrol but not very pronounced. Herbal and very hard to describe. Herbal flowers. Tastes rather like a Choisya plant smells. Then a more oily linseed aftertaste. Sales Director Christoph Graf said it went beautifully with slow-

Michael Schmidt, Freier Weinjournalist und Mitarbeiter bei Jancis Robinson, hat die Grossen Gewächse 2007 beurteilt.
Von 100 verkosteten Weinen war die Höchstnote 17,0 Punkte.
Die Grossen Gewächse aus dem Hause von Buhl wurden mit einem Durchschnittswert von 16,0 Punkten über alle Lagen hervorragend eingestuft.

Die Wertungen im Einzelnen:

2007 KIRCHENSTÜCK Forst Riesling Grosses Gewächs 16,5 Pkt Höchste Wertung in dieser Lage
2007 REITERPFAD Ruppertsberg Riesling Grosses Gewächs 16 Pkt
2007 PECHSTEIN Forst Riesling Grosses Gewächs 15,5 Pkt Höchste Wertung in dieser Lage
2007 UNGEHEUER Forst Riesling Grosses Gewächs 16 Pkt Höchste Wertung in dieser Lage
2007 JESUITENGARTEN Forst Riesling Grosses Gewächs 15,5 Pkt
2007 PARADIESGARTEN Deidesheim Riesling Grosses Gewächs 16,5 Pkt