Wine Guide
Producers
Von Buhl
In a day when everything is documented; your sister’s meal is on instagram, Google selects advertisements based on your browsing history and even Karl Lagerfeld’s cat is considered “an influencer”, it comes as a very welcome surprise to find an unsung hero. Quietly making quality Riesling wines for over 150 years in their native Deidesheim, no fuss Reichsrat von Buhl is a breath of fresh air.
No von Buhl here
The family owned vineyard was established in 1849, and the wine enjoyed considerable success in the late 19th century; composer Felix Mendelssohn was a fan, it was served to dignitaries at the opening of the Suez canal (thus becoming one of the most expensive wines in the world) and it was German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck’s favourite Riesling. However, poor management, two world wars and economic difficulties meant the estate began failing and the 200-hectares were scaled back to just 52. Enter the quixotic Adim Niederberger who purchased the estate in its entirety in 2013. Sadly Niederberger died the same year, but the grass roots of change had already begun; and the timeless Riesling was on its way to once again being a stalwart among wines.

Much of the modern-era success that Von Buhl has enjoyed could be put down to two men: managing director Richard Grosche and technical director Mathieu Kauffmann. Together they have awakened this sleeping giant. They have added the modern touch; they are certified organic, have dramatically reduced yields and farm biodynamically.
12-years at Bollinger
To put it simply, the new Grosche/Kauffmann team are nailing it. Kauffmann has brought his 12 years of experience at Bollinger to Von Buhl and launched the wines to a whole new level. Von Buhl’s nine whites and one red offer a staggering scope: from as little as €5 a bottle for the lush 2017 Reichsrat von Buhl Riesling Halbtrocken to the €1,549 (April 2019) 1893 Reichsrat von Buhl Deidesheimer Muhl & Geheu Riesling. Virtually undrinkable, this latter wine retains investor interest year after year.
Notable facts and vintages
  • Reichsrat von Buhl is one of a handful of producers pioneering the current trend of holding Grosses Gewachs Rieslings an additional year (or more) prior to release ensuring better integrated wines. Looking at von Buhl's Forster Pechstein Riesling Grosses Gewachs, prices for the 2016 vintage held steady both prior to and after release, and on the whole prices for all available vintages have increased by more than 30% in the two year period from June 2017.
  • 2018 marks Reichsrat von Buhl’s first fully-biodynamic vintage.
  • To be released in September 2019, four of Van Buhl’s wines already made it to Vinous/David Schilknecht’s “Top Ten” in the Pfalz 2017 vintage report released in Q1 2019. This includes Kirchenstuck holding position number one with a score of 96. Prior to release prices averaging €95 per bottle in Q2 2019. In the same report, Pechstein received 95 points (while commanding on average €40 per bottle) and both Ungeheuer and Reiterpfad Hofstuck received 94 points.