You can learn a lot about respect from Julian Huber. Not that he specifically mentions it all the time. And yet it’s always there. Respect for nature, respect for the achievements of his parents, respect for the customers that helped the winery grow, respect for the work of his team. That is quite inspiring.

This blog post clearly marks a new chapter in the history of Heroes of Riesling: For the first time we are writing a story about a winemaker that doesn’t produce a single Riesling. Haha, isn’t it groundbreaking?

For everyone following us it may not come as a surprise. With our blog, we want to show the world the amazing winemakers in Germany. And - of course - there are many who produce fantastic Rieslings and there are those who went into other directions and definitely make outstanding wines, too.

We had the wish to visit the winery Bernhard Huber for a longer time and to spend some time with Julian Huber. Not just because, he is a very nice guy and a fascinating winemaker. But also for the reason that his wines rank at the very top of what you can expect from German Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. When ordering these bottles in the great restaurants you will quickly get used to the answer „Oh, that is my last bottle“. Just because the wines are rare and many people want it.

And there is another reason: roughly 40 percent of the production goes to private customers. The same people that helped the winery grow and where true to the family for many, many years. And Julian and his family appreciate this very much, by making sure that loyalty is rewarded.

A man of the vines

We don’t have to do much convincing to start our visit in the vineyards - that seems to be the place where he feels most at home. Beautiful vineyards, some kilometers away from the famous „Kaiserstuhl“ and yet constantly influenced by its weather.

The magic around the villages of Malterdingen, Hecklingen and Co. lies underneath. Four or five limestone lodes are reaching the surface here. The magic material for amazing Chardonnays and Pinots. If you go 20 meters further, you will probably find pure loess soils. So you have to know your vineyards here.

You quickly get the impression that Julian knows his vines and vineyards very well. Everything is focussed on quality here. The vines are planted very closely. This competition between the vines reduces quantity and builds concentration in the grapes.

A true family heritage

All of these vineyards - from the meager soils of the Schlossberg to the limestones of Bienenberg - have been planted by his father Bernhard Huber. A winemaker that early on focussed on quality while everyone else around him with producing quantity. There is a lot of respect when Julian talks about his father and his achievements.

Julian, who is massively influenced by the ideas and winemaking philosophy of Burgundy, just did the next step in moving the style of the wines. There are clearer now, a bit lighter, harvested a bit earlier, with beautiful acidity. Wines that you should put in your cellar for at least five years. If you can wait 20 years, your mind will be blown away. But the bad thing is: they are also quite accessible in the younger stage. So you have to be strong to not open them too early.

Learning is a constant part of the journey

But it was also a learning curve for Julian. And it’s truly funny to listen to him when he talks about his first vintage after coming from Geisenheim university - with all this great ideas in mind how to make better wines. Very early harvest combined with crushing the berries led to completely non-harmonious wines in the first year. And the best part: He didn’t try these different methods at one vineyards. He changed it for the entire winery.

But if you learn intensively, you learn quick. And the current vintages we were able to try in the cellar talk a very different language. Beautifully harmonious Pinot Noirs on all quality levels. High concentration paired with perfect elegance.

And that is especially true for the 2021 vintage which really blew us away. The one cooler year between five hot years in Germany. Which results in wonderfully fresh wines with this extra acidity kick in the Pinots and a little additional reductive element in the Chardonnays. Just the way we love it.

But the bad news is: Also the volumes were lower. So you have to watch out for these amazing Huber wines.