BÜRKLIN WOLF YOUNG VS. OLD - Louis C. Jacob, Hamburg
Steffen Brahner, managing director of the traditional Mittelhaardt/Pfalz estate Dr. Bürklin-Wolf was in town and brought a few of their Rieslings to the dinner table. The tasting dinner was held at the two star restaurant Louis C. Jacob. The wines were accompanied by a five-course-menu. For the first four courses, two wines from the same vineyard from different vintages were poured, one older vintage and one newer one. Service was impeccable and the dinner was ok, too. The kitchen didn’t show its two-star cuisine though, every course was scaled down a little bit.
Introduction: 2009 Sekt Cuvée Brut
I didn’t even know that Bürklin-Wolf also made a Sekt. It’s made out of Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay in the méthode champenoise with 18 months of bottle age before it is degorged and released. It was certainly ok and even quite good for the modest price (14 EUR/bt), but nothing to write home about.
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2009 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Cuvée Brut - Germany, Pfalz
Cuvée of Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc & Chardonnay. Light brass colour, fine mousseux. In the nose, it’s nice with roasted hazelnut, smoky-mineralic nuances (“Fumé”) and some quince. On the palate, it’s a bit flat, the mousseux is really flat, fine acidity, it seems sweeter than it is (1.5 g/l rs). Good to drink, but lacking tension. (86 pts.)
Flight 1 : 2011 and 1999 Wachenheimer Böhlig
The first course was grilled duck breast with mache salad and sweet and sour vegetables. With this we were served 2011 and 1999 Wachenheimer Böhlig, a Premier Cru vineyard of Bürklin-Wolf. It’s a bit under 5 hectares big and one of the rare limestone terroirs in the Mittelhaardt. The vines were replanted in 1987. The 2011 was very, very young and it seemed far from being ready to me. A nice drink right now, but nothing more. The 1999, poured from Magnum, showed where the voyage could go. It was really, really great, still very vibrant, fresh, well structured, mineralic - just as I like it. It is no secret that Bürklin-Wolf killed it in 1999, it’s maybe their best vintage since 1990. Steffen Brahner told me that they had difficulties with the vintage at first because the wines were a bit too structured for a long time, but they’re super happy with it now. For a reason.
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2011 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Wachenheimer Bohlig Riesling Trocken PC - Germany, Pfalz
Light yellow. In the nose with primary fruit notes: Apricot, peach. Nutty notes as well and a bit of soapiness. On the palate, it’s also marked by primary fruit. Good structure, fairly mild acidity, noticeable fruity sweetness. Not 100% balanced. Right now, this is a bit unexciting. (87 pts.) -
1999 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Wachenheimer Bohlig Riesling Trocken PC - Germany, Pfalz
From Magnum. Amazingly light yellow. In the nose, this is just great and complex as well as balanced and fine: baked apricots, pistachio, some petrol. On the palate, it’s very straight, direct, mineralic. Good acidity, fully dry, especially in the long finish. In a word: excellent. (92 pts.)
Flight 2 : 2012 and 2009 Deidesheimer Hohenmorgen
The second course was Scottish wild salmon with Riesling beurre blanc and green asparagus and it was served with 2012 and 2009 Deidesheimer Hohenmorgen, a Grand Cru vineyard with sandstone soils. The vines were replanted in 1979. I liked the 2012, even though it was very young and embryonic. It was quite light and airy, unlike the wines from this vineyard from other vintages that in my personal view tend to be quite rich (although Steffen Brahner says that the Hohenmorgen is usually the most feminine of their G.C. wines). The 2009 was closed down, but revealed great potential. As many other 2009s, it’s not that high in acidity, but I find the 2009 acidity oftentimes to be just sufficient to not let the wines seem flabby. It was the same for the 2009 Hohenmorgen. A good flight, but without a wine that showed the magic of the 1999 Böhlig.
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2012 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Deidesheimer Hohenmorgen Riesling Großes Gewächs - Germany, Pfalz
Very light yellow. In the nose, this is high-pitched with notes of pineapple, litchi, aloe vera and white blossoms. Very fine, but very, very young and primary. On the palate, it’s finely woven, delicate, the high residual sugar (8.2 g/l) is not really noticeable. Good potential, a bit lighter than in other vintages which suits the wine well. (90 pts.) -
2009 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Deidesheimer Hohenmorgen Riesling Großes Gewächs - Germany, Pfalz
Light to medium yellow. In the nose, this is fairly closed down, whiteish to yellowish with floral notes, apricots, some spice. Difficult to assess. On the palate, it’s harmonic, it’s good tension and grip, there’s some minerality. The acidity is mild, but present enough to give the wine some backbone. Fairly short finish right now. Needs time, five additional years minimum. (91 pts.)
Flight 3: 2005 and 1996 Forster Kirchenstück
Up next was a lemon sole with Scampi and lime-ginger nage, which was served with 2005 and 1996 Forster Kirchenstück, the most famous vineyard in the Pfalz. It’s an enclosed vineyard next to the church of Forst, in which Bürklin-Wolf owns roughly a half hectare with vines planted in 1985. It is oftentimes referred to as the “Montrachet of the Pfalz”, I can’t say whether that’s justified, but I can say that I absolutely love the wines from this vineyard. They’re expensive, but they’re worth it. The 2005 was really good, but it is likely to become absolutely marvellous with more bottle age. There was so much potential in that brooding Riesling. I was absolutely blown away by the 1996 Kirchenstück. For me, a characteristic of the Bürklin-Wolf Kirchenstück is a note of Saffron and a sort of “creamy minerality” that’s there, but that’s not austere in any way. The 1996, served from Magnum, had this characteristic to the maximum. It was so complex, fragrant and thrilling, I tried to preserve the last drop until the last minute. I just couldn’t part with the wine. Unfortunately, it’s near impossible to find now. I’d be dying to drink this wine again. Seriously.
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2005 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Forster Kirchenstück Riesling Trocken GC - Germany, Pfalz
Medium yellow. In the nose, this is great and characteristic: it’s got a yellow spice aspect (Safran, Kurkuma), herbal-ethereal notes (tarragon, basil), fine fruit notes that are hard to single out and vary between yellow stone fruit and exotic fruit (pineapple, mango). Very fine and elegant as well as fragrant. Changes all the time, not quite at its peak. On the palate, it’s got an excellent structure, the acidity is fine, the body voluminous, but not obese. Long. This has huge potential and could one day become one of the best Bürklin-Wolf Kirchenstücks. (93 pts.) -
1996 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Forster Kirchenstück Riesling Trocken GC - Germany, Pfalz
From Magnum. Light to medium yellow. In the nose, it’s creamy, spicy and powdery. A bathtub full of saffron. Oriental spices, too. Some pineapple, floral notes. Unbelievably fragrant and expressive. On the palate, it’s fresh with strong, but harmonic acidity, fine fruit notes, huge complexity and finess. Really long. This has aged beautifully and still has some years to go. Likely at its peak though. (97 pts.)
Flight 4: 2008 and 2003 Forster Ungeheuer
For the main course, we had veal leg with mashed potatoes and vegetables, served with 2008 and 2003 Forster Ungeheuer, another of the classic Mittelhaard vineyards, in which Bürklin-Wolf owns just under a hectare with vines planted in 1985. The 2008, served from Magnum, was good already, but really, really young. I’ll try to find some bottles as I’m confident that this wine will one day reach the highest highs. It’s got so much vibrancy and tension, it gives you goosebumps. This does not apply to the 2003, from the hottest year in Germany for decades, that’s really rich and warm, but also a bit flabby. Think Zind-Humbrecht, but without the tension. I had had this wine a few months before (blind) where it showed a bit better, not that rich and ripe, but fresher. Still, this is not a wine I need to drink again.
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2008 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Forster Ungeheuer Riesling Trocken GC - Germany, Pfalz
From Magnum. Light yellow. In the nose, this is very fresh, embryonic, herbal, floral, white fruity. It’s already quite fine, but there’s more potential than substance at the moment. On the palate, it’s nicely balanced, fresh by way of a very present acidity, dryish, but with nice fruity notes of white stone fruit. Long finish. Absolutely delicate, but so young. (92 pts.) -
2003 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Forster Ungeheuer Riesling Trocken GC - Germany, Pfalz
Golden yellow. In the nose, this is very ripe, sunny and warm. Extremely ripe peach, nutty notes, some petrol, honey. On the palate, it’s well structured, it’s got sufficient tension, but hardly any noticeable acidity. Very ripe fruit aromas again. This is really ripe and rich, impressive, but not really my style. (88 pts.)
Dessert: 1998 Forster Riesling Auslese “R”
The Auslese was only released a year ago and was held back by Bürklin-Wolf for a while. That’s a good idea as I could imagine that it was a bit sweet in its youth. Now, it was really well balanced with a nice tart note and good freshness. Bürklin-Wolf is not my first address to look for Riesling Auslese, but this wine really was quite good and a nice surprise.
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1998 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Forster Riesling Auslese “R” - Germany, Pfalz
Light amber colour. In the nose, this is great with petrol notes, tart apple, mango and hints of Botrytis. Complete and balanced. On the palate, it’s fresh, tart again with notes of Boskopp apple, balanced acidity and sweetness. Very delicate. Fairly short finish though. (91 pts.)
This tasting showed again that - if given sufficient bottle age - there are hardly any dry Rieslings in Germany that can match Bürklin-Wolf’s in terms of long term potential, expression of vineyard character, individuality and finesse. I don’t enjoy the young wines very much, but with 8+ years on their back and especially after 10 or more years, these wines show all their beauty, from the Premier Crus to the Kirchenstück. It was really remarkable how the character of the wine came through in both wines of each flight, only that the older wine was way more complex than the younger one. This was a really great and interesting wine dinner and I’m happy that my cellar is quite full of Bürklin-Wolf Rieslings from all different vintages.
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