Bernhard Huber

Nestled among limestone ridges of Germany’s Southwest region of Baden lies the village of Malterdingen, where Julian Huber is crafting some of the most exciting German wines we’ve tasted in years.

Malterdingen lies just east of the famous Kaiserstuhl, where cool and wet weather blesses these limestone hillsides with terroir that has more in common with the Côte d’Or than any other region of Germany. Julian Huber describes this place as “The Burgundy Door.”

Bernhard Huber, Julian’s father, was known as the “German Godfather of Pinot Noir.” Like many greats from that generation, when Bernhard took over his family’s vineyards, he decided not to sell to the local co-op. Instead, he focused on representing their exceptional terroir, drawing inspiration from Burgundy. Bernhard purchased some clones from Jean-Luc Pascal in Puligny and planted them alongside some of the German clones his father had previously planted. 

Early on, Bernhard began the process of high-density plantings to lower yields. Today, most vineyards are planted with roughly 10,000 vines per hectare, with some vineyards as many as 25,000 vines per hectare. From these sites, yields are impossibly small; for example, some vines in the Wildenstein vineyard produce bunches with only 8-10 grapes. It goes without saying that these wines show beautiful concentration.

Julian, Bernhard’s son, took over his family’s estate after his father’s untimely passing in 2014. The legacy that Bernhard left was great— and one can only imagine the gravity of stepping into your father’s shoes, especially one who is so fondly revered and was so impactful. It didn’t take long for Julian to start blazing his own path, not only honoring his family’s legacy but adding to it. Before he took over the domaine, he apprenticed in both Germany and in Savigny-les-Beaune while completing his college education in just three years. It was there that he spent a considerable amount of time trying to chemically understand premature oxidation, or pre-mox, how and why it occurs, and how to prevent it. Julian is one of those winemakers who, when you speak with them, leave you inspired and energized. Julian has a quiet confidence about him, but he’s not pretentious, and that’s reflected in the wines. The wines are about as serious as they can be, but they’re insanely drinkable.

A hallmark of all great winemakers is their attention to every detail, and Julian grew up with a passion for the details, because it’s the minutiae that define the wines. We’ve always looked for wines that are more than ”the sum of their parts,” where each wine has a story to tell, and every vineyard has its own dialect.  It’s in these details that “you can fully express the region.”

It may come as a surprise, but Germany is the world’s third-largest producer of Pinot Noir behind France and the United States. Pinot Noir in Germany isn’t a recent phenomenon either; the Cistercians established a chain of monasteries in the region at least 700 years ago, and some records indicate Malterdinger Pinot Noir as far back as 1285. If we only take thing from the Cistercians, let it be their eye for location, location, location!  

In the vineyards, they’re farming organically, though this isn’t something new. and Julian has started to use sheep to help manage vegetation between the rows; every aspect of their vineyard work is aimed at preserving the extremely old vines.  They treat these vines as if they were extended family members and show the utmost respect and gratitude to the generations that came before who planted them.

After harvest, Pinot Noir is de-stemmed, then onto a long, cold maceration, resulting in elegant extraction. During fermentation, Julian isn’t afraid to work with a lot of oxygen, but limits punch downs to “only when necessary.” With the press cycle, Julian is using a traditional basket press. White wines are pressed using an old vertical press; this is a more rustic approach, but it yields more aromatics and phenolics without the need for maceration. Julian is very sensitive to phenolic extraction, so when you taste the wines, you’ll find that there’s an element of phenolics, but they’re never green or underripe.

In the cellar, the wines are always fermented spontaneously—stainless steel for Pinot Noir and barrique for white. After fermentation, the Pinot Noirs are moved into a combination of Rousseau and Remond barrique. For the white wines, Julian prefers Damy, and all barrels are 228 liters. The wines are always bottled without filtration, but they are racked several times to remove any sediment.

The World of Fine Wine described Huber as “One of the most important wine producers in Germany of the past 20 years.”  We agree and are excited for you to experience these wonderful wines for yourself.