2011 Holger Koch Weissburgunder Scheibenhardt - Germany, Baden (7/2/2013)
My first Weissburgunder/Pinot Blanc from Baden, and it’s quite an eye opener. There’s plenty of fresh fruit, and it’s in the crunchy, tree-fruit vein. Good brightness, and a little hint of finishing creaminess that weaves in and out of the wine from time to time. I noticed it on some sips but not on others. Intruiging. Very enjoyable with a simple summer dinner. The wine handled the oppresive humidity of the day quite well, providing refreshment as well as drinking interest.
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Thanks for the note. It’s good to see that Pinot Blanc from Baden apparently makes it over to the states. Holger Koch is a great producer and only makes Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir. His wines apart from the ***-Pinot Noirs are also very good value and age well. I don’t know this particular bottling. The labeling at Holger Koch is a bit confusing as he makes several special bottlings for merchants and sometimes the gastronomy that sometimes seem to have been named after certain parcels in his main vineyard, the Bickensohler Herrenstück (there’s a pinot blanc “Eichbuck” for example or a pinot blanc “Steinfelsen”).
Which other Pinot Blancs and Pinot Gris from Baden or the Southern Pfalz get exported into the US?
Steven,
This is the first Baden Pinot Blanc I have ever run across in my purchasing history. That said I never went out of my way to look for them, so there may be others I am not aware of. Having now tried this one I will be on the lookout for more, as I am a Pinot Blanc fan, and liked this as much as pretty much anything I have ever tried from the grape. It’s a different style from my current benchmark (Hiedler Weissburgunder Maximum from Austria), but I like it nearly as much. I’m curious how it might age over the medium term. The Hiedler Maximum ages very well.
Hi David,
I don’t know about this particular bottling, but I’ve made good - if limited - experiences with aging these Holger Koch Pinot Blancs and Pinot Gris. He only started his own venture in 1999. His dad sold to the local cooperative before. Holger Koch himself was the winemaker at Schwarzer Adler in Oberbergen (a renowned winery and the restaurant with maybe the best wine list in all of Germany - regarding Bordeaux, Burgundy and Baden). The first vintage I got aware of Holger Koch was 2006 (not the best vintage, actually).
I recently had a 2008 basic Weißburgunder, which was still pretty crisp and tight. Since his wines are all aged in (mostly used) oak barrels and get extended time on the lees, they are rather made for the medium to long term. I’m actually surprised that the “Scheibenhardt” you had was already so accessible. I am sometimes a bit disappointed with these wines young and have learned that I tend to like them best after they had some time to spend open in the fridge (decanting could work, too, I haven’t tried it out yet).
To sum it up, I’d say that his entry level bottlings can age up to 6 or more years, his mid-level bottlings up to 10 or more and his *** Großes Gewächs bottlings up to 15 or more years.