2012 Huber Pinot Noir

Bernhard Huber

Germany / Baden / Bernhard Huber

Huber's Baden Pinot Noir is the winery's regional wine and comes from young vines between six and 12 years old. Even for this basic wine the estate conducts green harvesting in order to reduce the crop to approximately 65 hl/ha. It spends 25 days in stainless steel with 15 to 20% whole bunches, then a year or so in 2nd and 3rd use oak.

September, 2015

James Halliday

94 points

Bright colour, not especially deep; crystal clear varietal character foretells a pure pinot, with a linear mouthfeel to its dark cherry fruit until a savoury twist on the finish adds another dimension and length.

May, 2015

Gary Walsh

The Wine Front

92 points

Black cherries, almost grassy dried herb perfume and bunchy spice with a dab of creamy oak. Medium bodied, with a distinct, though hard to put into words, minerally feel – shale or slate or similar – to taste and texture, crunchy bright acidity, a tangy juicy herbal finish of good length, and a clear sense of definition throughout. Engaging and great to drink.

July, 2017

Gary Walsh

The Wine Front

90 points

The entry level Pinot Noir from this excellent producer. Importer: CellarHand
As a bit of funk and smokiness, spice and cherries, autumn leaves and that kind of thing. Medium bodied, sappy and nervous, crisp and full of sour cherry and spice, light rasp of peppery tannin, and a brisk cranberry juice finish. Good stuff. Great wine for the table.

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About Bernhard Huber

The Huber winery is located in Malterdingen in the winegrowing region of Baden in the foothills of the Black Forest mountains in Germany’s deep south west. Pinot Noir has been cultivated in the village for well over 700 years, having been brought there from Burgundy by the Cistercian monks. About two-thirds of the 25 ha estate is given over to Pinot Noir, and from these vines Bernhard Huber made scintillating wines right up to his death from illness in June 2014. This gracious gentleman had taken pointers in the early days from his great friend Jacques Seysses at Domaine Dujac but never tried to make his Pinots taste like Burgundy, instead drawing on those ideas to express the sites around Malterdingen and surrounding villages. I was lucky enough to visit Bernhard on three or four occasions over the last five years and every time came away more and more convinced that these are world-class Pinots by any measure. Winemaking responsibilities have passed to Bernhard’s son Julian, who’s inherited his father’s passion for Baden and dedication to quality.

About

Julian Huber grew up among the vines in Malterdingen, an apprentice to the "wizard of German Pinot Noir", as Jancis Robinson's German specialist Michael Schmidt referred to Julian's father, Bernhard. Julian studied winemaking at the world-famous institute at Geisenheim in the Rheingau. He returned from his final year there to work Bernhard’s final vintage in 2013. Since Bernhard's death in 2014, Julian's taken up the winemaking mantle with aplomb, displaying the same humble energy and vision for which his father was rightly admired.