Summary
Weingut Bernhard Huber in Malterdingen is one of the best-known addresses in German red wine and is regarded as Germany's benchmark for Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir). Across around 28 hectares around Malterdingen in the Breisgau, it produces Burgundian, elegant Pinots of international rank, plus top-class Chardonnay and Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc). Founder Bernhard Huber pulled his vines out of the cooperative from 1988 and built a world-class estate within a few years. Since his early death in 2014, his son Julian Huber has continued to run the house together with his mother Barbara – consistently at the highest level.
History
Winegrowing in Malterdingen reaches far back: around 700 years ago, Cistercian monks are said to have planted the Pinot vines they brought from Burgundy here – the historic "Malterer" is to this day a synonym for Spätburgunder from the area. It was on this long tradition that Bernhard Huber (1959–2014) built when he founded his independent winery in 1987 and gradually pulled his parcels out of the local cooperative from 1988.
Huber recognised the exceptional potential of his sites and geared the estate uncompromisingly towards quality. Within a few years he brought it into the very front rank of German red-wine producers. When Bernhard Huber died far too early in June 2014, his son Julian Huber took over responsibility together with his mother Barbara. Julian had previously studied viticulture in Geisenheim and gained experience, among other places, in Burgundy – and has continued the house style at a high level ever since.
Location & Terroir
Malterdingen lies in the Breisgau, in southern Baden north of Freiburg on the edge of the Black Forest. Decisive for the estate's reputation is the soil: around Malterdingen there is weathered Muschelkalk (shell limestone), as is also common in Burgundy – a terroir that seems made for Pinot Noir. It was precisely this kinship that the monks recognised who once brought the Spätburgunder from France.
Baden's climate is one of the warmest in Germany, which allows the late-ripening Pinot Noir to ripen reliably. Huber relies on Burgundian clones, dense planting and low yields to achieve concentration and finesse. The best vineyards lie around Malterdingen as well as in Hecklingen and Bombach.
Style & Philosophy
Bernhard Huber oriented himself early and consistently towards Burgundy. The aim was, and is, to produce Spätburgunder of great elegance rather than mere power: wines with fine fruit, silky tannin and clear origin. To that end the estate works with careful hand-harvesting, gentle handling of the must and cautious ageing in French barriques – always dosed so that the wood supports the fruit but never masks it.
The Burgundian signature is unmistakable in the white wines too: Chardonnay and Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc) are likewise barrel-aged and rank among the best of their kind in Germany. The range is rounded out by a fine sparkling wine (Sekt) and an aromatic Muskateller. The wines are built for maturity and longevity, never showy but always elegant.
Notable Sites & Wines
The range is clearly tiered – from estate wines through village wines to the Große Gewächse from the top sites. Among the best-known vineyards and wines are:
- Malterdinger Bienenberg – the estate's core site, the basis of great Spätburgunder and Chardonnay
- Wildenstein – a climatically favoured top parcel within the Bienenberg, the estate's finest red, aged separately
- Bombacher Sommerhalde – very Burgundian, with notes of dark berries and fine structure
- Hecklinger Schlossberg – a striking grand cru site on a steep slope
- Alte Burg in Köndringen – another renowned parcel
These wines regularly rank among the highest-rated Spätburgunders in Germany.
Awards
Over the years Bernhard Huber received top marks from the leading wine guides and is regarded, alongside a few others, as a pioneer of world-class German Spätburgunder. The estate's Große Gewächse achieve top scores in Falstaff, Gault&Millau and international tastings. To this day the name Huber stands for the idea that Baden – on Muschelkalk and with Burgundian ambition – can produce Pinot Noir of international rank.