Dr. Bürklin-Wolf
The wines are deep, rich, powerful and dramatic...pinnacles in the history of dry German Riesling. -- Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate
Dr. Bürklin-Wolf
This Article Contains |
People |
Bettina Bürklin-von Guradze: Owner, Nicola Libelli: Cellar Master, and Jan Hock: Viticulturist.
Focus |
Dry, Crystalline, Traditionally crafted Rieslings from an incredible collection of Pfalz vineyards
Country |
Germany
Region |
Pflaz
Village |
Wachenheim
Climate |
Cool to Moderate Continental
- Cold winters, hot, medium length, fairly rainy summers, with long, cool, dry autumns.
- This is the warmest region in Germany with more Mediterranean-like temperatures. You can even find fig and olive trees growing among the vines.
- Winters are usually not as cold as they were historically. Summers are much hotter, drought is a serious problem, and autumns start later and are often much wetter than they used to be.
- Moderate climate wines are relatively high in acid, with lower than average alcohols, medium to light in body, and often show a lot of mineral flavors along with ripe fruit notes.
- White grapes are the majority but there are some great light reds, like Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier that can also ripen well.
- Warmer vintages: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2015 produce wines with lower acidity, higher alcohols, and richer fruit flavors.
- Cooler vintages: 2021, 2013, 2010, 2008 produce what are now considered “classic” cool-climate wines
- 2022 is an enigma. It was hot and very dry for most of the growing season, but rain and long cold fall ended up giving us wines that taste more like “classic” cool-climate wines than rich, ripe wines.
Vineyards |
86 hectares in 3 villages. In 1990 they started classifying all of their vineyards in the Burgundian format of Village, 1er Cru (PC) and Grand Cru (GC). They’ve kept these labels even as the VDP has now classified the same sites as Erste and Grosse Lage.
- Kirchenstück: Forst, Erste Gewächs. “The Montrachet of the Pfalz”, surrounded by the other GC vineyards. The only site rated with the top score of 65 by the Bavarian vineyard classification of 1828. This is a southeast slope with basalt rock, limestone scree, red sandstone, dense clay and sand giving it minerality and access to enough water even in the hottest of years. A vineyard known for complexity, elegance, brilliance, unmatched power and expression like nowhere else. Wines need decades in the cellar to unfurl. Their .5 ha was planted in 1985.
- Pechstein: Forst, Erste Gewächs. Southeast facing slope with high proportions of black basalt for a flinty intense minerality mixed with limestone from an ancient coral reef for structure and sandstone for good measure. B-W owns 2.33 hectares with vines planted in 1978.
- Ungeheuer: Forst Erste Gewächse. A basalt laden vineyard, but with complex soil structure including limestone, rubble, sandstone and with dense clay meaning access to water for more nutrition and excellent mineral underpinning to the wines. The south-east slope gives ample sun and being at the foot of the Haardt Mountains, gives cooler airflow and brighter acidity. B-W .9 ha were planted in 1985.
- Jesuitengarten: Forst, Erste Gewächs. The second best vineyard after Kirchenstück. Eastern facing slope with Basalt and limestone mixed, the best of both worlds! Because of replanting in 2015, B-W is not bottling this as a single vineyard GC wine.
- Hohenmogen: Deidesheim GC. From the Mittelhaardt on a warm slope with sandstone and a band of limestone. This gives the wines from here both power and a linear focus. B-W has .9 ha planted in 1979.
- Langenmorgen: Deidesheim, Erste Gewächs. A semicircle of a vineyard surrounded by the Paradiesgarten, next to the cooling forest, with a southeastern slope. The site was first mentioned in 1491 and the name refers to the amount of land a man can work with a horse in a day. Top soil is loam with high limestone content over deep loess, red and white sandstone. A lighter, brighter GG. B-W has .68 ha planted in 1976.
- Kalkofen: Deidesheim, Erste Gewächs. Once a lime kiln and source of limestone bricks, now a warm south facing site with plenty of limestone and marl soils. Wines are super mineral with a Burgundian structure. This is one of my favorite sites in the Pfalz. B-W has .7 ha planted in 1973.
- Gaisböhl (Monopol): Ruppertsberg GC. 7.5 ha planted in 1977, 5.2 are classified as GC. South facing slope at the foot of the Mittelhaardt. Gravel and clay over red sandstone give them an especially powerful elegance that can take time in the bottle to really come to life.
- Reiterpfad: Ruppertsberg, Erste Lage. A very large 86 ha low slope with a southeast exposition. A very warm site due to a sandstone wall surrounding the vineyard. Diverse soils with sand and sandy loam over red sandstone, limestone and loess throughout. Wines tend to be very dense and long lived for an Erste Lage site. B-W has .83 ha planted in 2004.
- Goldbächel: Wachenheim PC. Southern exposure with red and yellow sandstone over a layer of river rocks, which allow the wines greater access to water. A boon in the dry years.
- Rechbächel (Monopol): Wachenheim PC. Very similar to the Goldbächel in soil make up.
- Gerümpel: Wachenheim PC. A unique site in the Pechstein that shares similarities to Pechstein in Forst with lots of black basalt.
- Altenburg: Wachenheim PC. A top site in Wachenheim since the Middle Ages. This east facing (cooler) slope is right by the forest, giving it lots of sunshine in the morning but earlier shading in the afternoon. The wines are brighter and more linear.
- Böhlig: Wachenheim PC. South east facing with red and yellow sandstone, but a high level of limestone as well, which is rare for the village.
- Hohenburg: Ruppertsberg PC. At the foot of the Mittelhaardt with white and red sandstone.
Grape Varieties |
Riesling
- The King of White Grapes.
- High acid, semi aromatic
- A huge variation in style potential from very light and dry, sparkling to the most unctuously sweet wines on the planet.
- Divisive for its high acidity and sugar retaining capabilities
- Perfect in its dynamic nature, ability to transmit the slightest nuance of terroir and being capable of aging for hundreds of years.
Farming |
Biodynamic
- One of the first certified Biodyn along with DRC in France.
- Hand harvested for the PC and GC.
Cellar Work |
Traditional - Natural
- Fermentations are spontaneous and can take as long as they want
- No or little temperature control
- PC & GC Riesling only large oak from 600-3,000L: Stockinger from Austria, Mattern, from Pfalz, and Assmann from Franconia
- They spend 6 months to a year in cask on their fine lees.
- Because of the thick staves and humid cellar they can actually become relatively reductive.
- Sweet and off-dry wines are in a mix of stainless steel and barrel
About the winery |
One of the most historic estates in Germany is making its best wine today. This is thanks to the forward thinking Bettina Bürklin-von Guradze who took over from her father in 1990 and recommitted to making wine at the highest quality.
She undertook the process of ranking all their vineyards into a Burgundy village, then in an effort to preserve the soils for future generations, converted to organics. After being introduced to Biodynamics and Nicholas Joly, they decided they needed to take everything a step further and now all 65 hectares are certified Biodyn as well, a true feat.
It’s often thought that estates of this size are just not capable of making wine at this level, they just can’t put the attention and man hours needed for craftsmanship. It's also difficult to coordinate between a viticulturist and a cellar master, as they often have two sets of goals. But Bettina is blessed with an incredible team, whose enthusiasm for their job and ability to work as a cohesive unit is unmatched in wine.
Nikola Libelli, from Italy works in tandem with Jan Hock whose lives and breaths vineyard work. This magic team imbues itself into the wines, they are serious and yet have a playful energy coursing through them. Bettina for her part trusts, them to try to continuously refine their methods, in and out of the cellar. The results are some of Germany’s greatest wines.
What do the wines taste like?
The majority are dry, complex, structured, and overtly textural. The best are power-houses of sinewy density and mineralic concentration. All possess that inherent steely spike of acidity, a signature of German wines.
The off-dry and sweet wines are also stunning. I only wish they made more of them as this style is not in fashion and the house wants to focus on its terroir expressive dry wines.
These were some of the most enthralling wines I've had this last trip to Germany.