The tasting parlor at Reichsrat von Buhl in Deidesheim

The two Deidesheimer estates of Reichsrat von Buhl and Dr. von Basserman-Jordan are closely intertwined. Both estates were once part of the famed Jordan wine estate which was divded amongst Andreas Jordon's three heirs in 1848. These two properties, along with a third called Dr. Deinhard, have recently been reunited by a Neustadt-based businessman named Joachim Niederberger, and are again in the hands of a single owner.

At its pinnacle, the Jordan winery was once the most illustrious in the Pfalz, and Niederberger seems determined to return these 150 hectares to their former glory. The three brands will continue to be operated as separate wineries, although with a co-ordinated international marketing strategy. The lineup of outstanding vineyards is mind boggling with Basserman-Jordan owning Großes Gewächs spread throughout the villages of Ruppertsberg, Deisdesheim, and Forst. Von Buhl's portfolio is built around the classified sites Jesuitengarten, Pechstein, Ungeheuer, and Kirchenstück, all of which are found in the village of Forst.

Vineyard hunting in the Pfalz

German weinprobes (wine tastings) tend to be well-organized and the wines for tasting are normally opened and readied for tasting prior to a visitors arrival. It is was the Forster Kirchenstück, produced by both von Buhl and Basserman-Jordan, that I had most eagerly wanted to taste, and I was disappointed to find that it was missing from both of the winery's tasting programs. Our host at von Buhl disappeared into the cellar and returned with a bottle of the 2007 Forster Kirchenstück GG. The anticipation and hype was deserved: not only did the wine impress, but it was one of the most complex and energized dry German Rieslings I have ever tasted.

Only a handful of producers own parcels in the tiny walled Kirchenstück vineyard in Forst

After our tasting with von Buhl I was determined to see the vineyard. It is fairly easy to find. Kirchenstück translates as "church piece", and the the church in the small village of Forst was its tallest structre. On the hill behind the church lies a small vineyard which is enclosed on all sides by a 6-foot sandstone wall which is said to protect the site from wind. We were told that heat is stored in the walls during the day, which then transfers back into the vines during the night. The soil is made up of sandstone, limestone scree, loess and a black basalt that can be found as paving material on some of the side streets in the village. I'm a huge fan of the 2007 vintage in Germany, and I admit to favoring the Pfalz style in recent years, but this wine took it to another level.