von Buhl Estate

Pfalz region
Germany

The von Buhl estate for many years has been a flagship of German viticulture.
It was split off the original Jordan estate after F.P. Buhl married a daughter of Andreas Jordan, and in 1849 registered the inheritance and estate under his own name.
His son Franz Eberhard Buhl took charge of the estate while fulfilling the duties of imperial counselor to the Bavarian throne. Franz was made a nobleman by the Bavarian King.
After Franz passed away in 1921, his widow carried on and managed the estate until her death in 1952.

Baron Theodor von und zu Guttenberg inherited the estate in 1952, and his son Georg Enoch von und zu Gutenberg took over the estate in 1972. Georg leased the property to a Japanese trading company in 1989. This partnership was formed with one goal in mind, to create optimal conditions for producing top wines. The Japanese invested millions both in the cellar and vineyards to reestablish the image of the estate by producing the highest quality wines.

At the turn of the century von Buhl wines fetched higher prices than top Bordeaux and Burgundy bottlings. At the official opening of the Suez Canal it was von Buhl wine in the glasses raised for the toast. The composer Felix Mendelsohn Bartholdy was a big fan of the von Buhl’s Forster Rieslings.

The house label created by Franz von Stuck in 1887 is one of the earliest artist labels (see right).

The estate is comprised of 128 acres, with top vineyard holdings in the villages of Forst, Deidesheim, and Ruppertsberg.

In Forst there is ownership in the Kirchenstück, Jesuitengarten, Ungeheuer, Pechstein, Freundstück, Bischofsgarten, Musenhang, and Stift. In Deidesheim holdings include Kieselberg, Leinhöhle, Hergottsacker, Nonnenstück, Mäushöhle and Paradiesgarten.

Finally in Ruppertsberg the Reiterpfad and Linsenbusch round out the top vineyards. The vineyards are planted 80% to Riesling, with the remainder planted to Scheurebe, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Rieslaner and Pinot Noir.

Controlled environmentally friendly wine growing is practiced with no use of herbicides. Predominantly organic fertilizers are used, only after soil analysis are mineral fertilizers applied. The vines are protected by using pesticides which do not harm ground water or beneficial insects.

Grasses and clover are planted between rows of vines, which are spaced to allow optimal ventilation. Special attention is paid to low yields and very selective harvesting. Vinification is very reductive. Gentle pressing is accomplished with pneumatic presses and the must is allowed to settle over night.

Fermentation is temperature controlled and fruity style wines are made by capturing the grape sugars, i.e. by arresting the fermentation process. The wines are then carefully filtered, and without fining, are placed into stainless steal containers to mature until bottling.

The von Buhl estate was a finalist at the Olympiade Gault-Millau in 1995. It won first prize in the category "botrytised wine" at Vin Italy in 1995 among 1800 wines from 13 different countries.

The leading German wine and food publication "Der Feinschmecker" lists a von Buhl wine amongst the best 100 in the world.

The von Buhl estate is a member of the Pfalz V.D.P..

Thumbnail Pictures
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von Buhl estate

barrel in the courtyard

steele vats for dessert wine production

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