2012 Huber Schlossberg Pinot Noir Grosses Gewächs

Bernhard Huber

Germany / Baden / Bernhard Huber

Bright yellowish limestone par excellence. Schlossberg is considered the most concise vineyard in Breisgau and has been used for viticulture since 1492. It's a steep slope on a gradient of up to 72% (in the Kapelleberg part up to 96%). It requires purely manual work and the mineral, skeleton-rich soil with bright yellowish limestone is geologically rare within the Black Forest foothills. The main orientation is south to south west. It's an absolutely top location for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Of the vineyard’s 50 hectares, Huber's holdings are 6 ha, of which 5.49 ha are classified as Grosses Gewächs. The 6- to 35-year-old vines are planted with a density 6,250-13,000 vines/ha. The yield here is 28 hl/ha. The steep slope makes for very intense sun radiation. The wines have great inner warmth and depth, a firm structure, pronounced minerality and strong fruit.

September, 2015

James Halliday

James Halliday Australian Wine Companion

98 points

Improbably, there is another level, here in unassailable Grand Cru country, a toss up between Vosne Romanee and Gevrey Chambertin, with echoes of each. It has the richest, most luscious array of red and black cherry, and dark plum fruits, its structure superb, yet relegated to second place. There would be precious few Premier Cru burgundies capable of beating this.

September, 2014

Michael Schmidt

jancisrobinson.com

18/20

Quite deep colour for Pinot Noir, ruby with bright purple rim. If you try and separate the Huber Spätburgunders by style, this is the big and powerful one. Very lively with juicy fruit reminiscent of cherries and raspberries, it also features animating acidity and good dollop of tannin. A fine dusting of cocoa and white pepper doesn’t only tickle your fancy but also your palate. It’s definitely not the most subtle one from Huber’s stable, but there is complexity in the making nevertheless.

Joel B. Payne,

Vinous Media

96 points

Smoky aromas of wild strawberry, raspberry and wild spices are complicated by a hint of licorice. Zesty on the attack, with tangy red berry flavors showing excellent focus. Very suave and elegant, displaying subtle use of new oak, this has more of a French than a German accent. A hint of toasty vanilla adds savory depth and complexity to the finish. This is certainly one of the finest Pinot Noirs of the vintage.

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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.