2023 Weingut Dr. Bürklin-Wolf, Riesling Feinherb, Hommage à Luise, Pfalz, Germany.
A big thank you to Sommelier Sarah Kabat-Marcy of Coastal Kitchen Restaurant at the Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa and co-owner of Carmel’s Cultura Restaurant, for introducing me to this special Weingut Dr. Bürklin-Wolf almost Kabinett level, but racy dry bottling that I had never seen or tried before, a rare occurrence for me with Riesling! This pale gold hued, slightly off dry and mineral laced Homage à Luise Feinherb is generous and pure Plfalz style Riesling with a medium bodied palate of green apple, kiwi, lime, quince and a solid core of apricot fruit, along with hints of tropical essence, wet stone, almond, honey/verbena and delicate florals. This refreshingly, lightly sweet and precise rarity in Dr. Bürkin-Wolf’s critically acclaimed lineup, comes from the Pfalz’s cooler sites near the forest in Wachenheim set on a mix of clay, limestone, loam and sandy soils and all organic grapes that saw a fermentation and élevage exclusively in stainless steel. This wine, imported by Skurnik Wines in the States, was a joyous and highly quaffable Riesling, and a top value, made with transparency in mind and like all of Dr. Bürklin-Wolf’s wines is crafted with certified biodynamic practices in the vineyards and in the cellar. Again I’m grateful to Sarah for turning me on to this wine, which I highly recommend and which has inspired me to explore more of their historic Riesling offerings.
The legendary Dr. Bürkin estate is located in Wachenheim, and was one of the original “Three Bs of the Pfalz”, which are Basserman-Jordan, von Buhl, and Bürklin-Wolf that were considered the most important estates in Germany’s Pfalz region. Today, Dr. Bürklin-Wolf is still one of the finest estates in all of Germany, as mentioned, certified organic, biodynamic, and family-owned, with a 400-year history and now led by Bettina Bürklin-von Guradze, who took over the estate from her father in 1990. Between 1990 and 2005, Bettina, as the winery notes, took steps to improve every aspect of the estate and In 2005, under her guidance, the estate became the first producer in Germany to be certified by Biodyvin, the biodynamic certifier for Domaine Leflaive, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, and other top growers in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Switzerland. The winery explains that the cellar here is historic, with original sections from the 17th century with very humidity present, making oxygen exchange and evaporation in the wines quite slow. Fermentation at Bürkin-Wolf is done with sponti, or natural/native yeasts and the wines generally spend six months to a year in cask, or tank on the lees, though there is no set timeframe. I must admit that I have had Bürkin-Wolf many times and still I forget how great these Rieslings are, so it is time to take a bigger dive into the full collection here, especially their Monopol GGs and the mightly Pechstein GG. On a side note, I highly recommend Coastal Kitchen and Cultura Restaurants, where you’ll find the talents of Sarah Kabat-Marcy, and some great food too!
($23 ESt.) 92 Points, grapelive