On September 15th we visited Weingut Bernhard Huber in Malterdingen. Despite not being very well known abroad Germany Bernhard Huber is domestically known as the best red-wine maker of Germany. So we were interested to learn to know his spätburgunders. Through the tasting we learned that Bernhard Huber makes very modern spätburgunders. But unlike most other makers of spätburgunders in Germany, those from Bernhard Huber has an almost seemless elegance. The oak is better integrated and are excellent wines in the making. The quality is on a high level. My only concern would be perhaps a little lack of excellent terroir. Through the tasting we also found out that Bernhard Huber also makes some very enjoyable white wines and a couple of very good sekts. Espscially the aromatic whites are very clear and precise in style, offering loads of fun and refreshment.
Pinot noir brut 2005
A little colour. Pretty nose. Quite aromatic. Some oak. Powerful in the mouth. A little aggressive mousse right now as this is newly disgorged. More yeasty in the mouth. Creamy and powerful style. Quite kind and round style. But fine in the making and very nice fruit. Good acidity. Some alcohol on the finish. Needs a year or two to calm down a bit. Very good.
Pinot rose brut 2005
The pink version has a light pink colour. Sweeter on the nose. More berryish nose and with some floral hints. Seems even more aromatic in the mouth. Same creamy and round and kind style. Fine mousse, yet a bit young and aggressive. Fruitier than the white version and less depth. More easy-going style. Fine acidity and length. Good pink sekt.
Muskateller brut JH 2007
Made by the son Julian Huber. Light colour. Very aromatic nose. Spicey and hints of sweet flowers. Typical moscato. Fine and young fruit. Refreshing style with 5 g/L residual sugar. Aromatic and with a little coarser mousse than the two pinots. Seems sweeter with its aromatic and spicey fruit. Clear and fruity. Nice aperitif. Good.
Müller-thurgau trocken 2009
Light colour. Fresh and spicey nose. Clear and aromatic. Light and crispy müller-thurgau in the mouth. Young, aromatic fruit. Crisp acidity and medium length. Young and refreshing style. Pretty little müller-thurgau.
Malterdinger Bienenberg Auxerrois kabinett trocken 2009
Fresh leafy nose. Hints of pear. Typical semi-aromatic auxerrois-notes. Medium bodied and quite refreshing auxerrois in the mouth. Slight fatness in the start. But crisp and dry finish. Simple leafy and refreshing fruit. Fine acidity for this grape. Good length. Good wine.
Rose von spätburgunder trocken 2009
Very light pink colour. Only a slight blush. Slightly earthy and flowery nose. Simple in the mouth. Again very clear and fruity style. But this is not as exciting and lacks some of the refreshing qualities of the two previous wines. Medium acids and length.
Malterdinger Bienenberg Muskateller kabinett trocken 2009
Spicey, clean and pure muskateller on the nose. Sweet flowers. Aromatic and intense. Very clear and bright muskateller in the mouth. Aromatic and with fine acidity to back it up. Dry style. Crisp finish. Medium length. Good.
Grauer burgunder trocken 2009
Quite tropical nose with hints of banana, some earth and leafs. Not too ripe style. Quite light and unoaked grauburgunder in the mouth. Slight fatness. Easy-going, clear and precise style. Fine acidity and length. Simple style.
Weisser burgunder trocken 2009
More white fruits on the nose. Leafs and some stone. Lightly lactic and creamy mouthfeel. Pure fruit and also an easy and unoaked style. To me this is finer than the grauer burgunder with finer fruit. Decent acidity and length.
Malterdinger Bienenberg grauer burgunder “R” reserve 2008
Deeper colour. Riper on the nose. Again lightly tropical elements. Some leafs, some oak. Powerful and creamy style in the mouth. Oak apparent, but quite integrated. Ripe grauburgunder-notes. Good structure with fine acidity and good length. Very good.
Malterdinger Bienenberg weisser burgunder “R” reserve 2008
More than 30 years old vines. The nose shows some oak, white fruits, leafs. Also a bit oaky in the mouth. Yet balanced with the fruit. Stoney, leafy weissburgunder-notes. Some minerality. Good depth. Fine acidity and length. Fine style. Needs some time to integrate. Very good and my favorite among the whites from Bernhard Huber.
Chardonnay trocken 2008
12 months in barriques, 1/3 new. Oak and nuts on the nose. Some minerality and yellow fruits. Medium bodied in the mouth. A little nutty chardonnay with some oak. A bit neutral style. Lower acidity and more alcohol noticeable on the finish.
Hecklinger Schlossberg chardonnay “R” reserve 2007
Yellow colour. More ripeness here. Lightly tropical notes. Oak and nuts. Thicker in the mouth. Big chardonnay. Lightly ripe notes. More burgundian in style with it’s nutty and oaky notes. Lacking a little depth. Medium acidity. Better balanced alcohol on the finish. Good.
Spätburgunder junge reben 2008
From vines 3-11 years old. Young red berries on the nose. Quite ripe in style, especially for the vintage. Medium bodied in the mouth. Clear and fruity style. Some hints of anise. Bright wine with good acidity. Not too deep. Light touch of bitterness on the finish. But nicely made spätburgunder. Good.
Malterdinger spätburgunder 2008
From vines 12-20 years old. A little more ruby colour. The nose shows a more flowery pinot noir-character. Young fruit. Anise. More power in the mouth and more structure. Still a velvety wine. More burgundy-like flavours and young and primary fruit. Fine acidity and length. Very good wine. Good buy from Huber.
Spätburgunder “alte reben” 2007
Vines 20-40 years old. 18 months in barriques, 50% new. Colour of a young wine. The nose shows anise, flowers, dark red berries. Richer than the previous wine with more depth. Some oak. Younger and tighter in the mouth with tougher structure. Less open for business now. Seems more mineral and better depth. Darker notes. Some apparent oak. Seemless and very fine wine in the making. Good acidity. Some tannins in the back. Very good.
Malterdinger Bienenberg spätburgunder ”R” Reserve 2007
More closed on the nose. Dark fruits, sweeter oak. More new barriques. Some flowers. Powerful in the mouth. Structured, but again seemless in the making. Fine structure. The fruit shows a lot of sweet oak. Young fruit. Minerality. Good depth. Fine acidity and a tannic end. Touch hardness, but not much. Fine modern made spätburgunder. Give it 5 years in the cellar.
Bombacher Sommerhalde spätburgunder “R” Reserve 2007
Clean red colour. Cooler nose. More anise and tar. Different minerality. Some oak, but integrates better with these aromas. Fullbodied spätburgunder in the mouth. Again cooler style. Fine fruit with more complexity right now. Oak better integrated. Fine acidity. Some tannins in the back. Long mineral finish. This differs a bit from the other wines with a pronounced cooler fruit. Great spätburgunder.
Hecklinger Schlossberg spätburgunder “R” reserve 2007
Red colour. Sweeter nose. Dark berries. More ripeness. Lots of fruity notes. Some flowers and sweeter oak is more apparent. Sweetish and quite elegant spätburgunder in the mouth. Rounder style. Pretty fruit with a pronounced fruitiness. Sweeter oak, but also a fine minerality. Lower acids and rounder and kinder structure. A little shorter on taste. Good.
Wildenstein spätburgunder “R” reserve 2007
Bernhard Hubers top spätburgunder from a plot just behind the weingut. Young red colour. Bright, clear nose. Lots of florality and depth. Young red fruits. Rasberries, anise-notes. Sweet oak. Powerful in the mouth. Lots of concentration. Still a velvety and elegant wine. Fine flowery fruit. Rasberries, minerality. Some sweet oak. Structured and tannic end. A little oaky finish. Great spätburgunder. Huge potensial. Needs some time to integrate better.
Spätburgunder “alte reben” 2004
Red colour. Lightly evolved earthy nose. Hints of flowers, red berries, minerality. Harder style in the mouth.Tar, compost, oak apparent. Somewhat evolved notes. Oak a little integrated. Fine acidity. Dry finish showing some hard tannins. Very good.
Malterdinger Bienenberg muskateller kabinett 2009
8,5% alc/vol. Very moscatoish. Spicey nose with hints of sweet flowers and litchi. Crisp in the mouth with light sweetness. Aromatic and spicey fruit. Very grape-typical. Fine acidity and decent length. Good.
Arnt Egil Nordlien
Tasting notes: Sep-10