Reichsrat von Buhl has been a family-owned winery for more than 150 years,and has belonged to the circle of the most prestigious wineries in Germany
for just as long.Since it was founded in 1849,Reichsrat von Buhl has made its wines in a terroir-dominated,timeless style that has never been oriented to fashion,but always to the grapes’origins in the best soils of Deidesheimer and Forster.Reichsrat von Buhl is certifed organic,and is an active ambassador of both natural,sustainable viticulture and of the best German wines.
Te estate was founded back in 1849 by Franz Peter Buhl (1809-1862) and came about as part of the distribution of the original Jordan estate into the
three smaller estates Geheimer Rat Dr.von Bassermann-Jordan,Reichsrat von Buhl and Dr.Deinhard.Within few years,von Buhl was recognized for its
uncompromising quality.
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy wrote to a friend afer a visit to Reichsrat von Buhl:„But if you haven’t been to the Buhl estate,you don’t know what Forster
Riesling is“.But it wasn‘t just on a national scale that von Buhl became famous.Von Buhl wines become some of the most expensive wines in the world and at the ofcial opening of the Suez Canal in 1869,it was VON Buhl Riesling wine in the glasses raised for the toast.German chancellor Otto von Bismarck
himself was a great lover of Buhl wines (his famous quote„Dieses Ungeheuer schmeckt mir ungeheuer“ this Ungeheuer tastes monstrously good,(Ungeheuer = monster) helped make the Forster Ungeheuer site world-famous).Reichsrat von Buhl has always owned the best plot in the 29 hectar grand cru vineyard Ungeheuer.
Te frst„Reichsrat“ (member in the house of Lords in the kingdom of Bavaria) was Armand von Buhl who was given the honorable title for his achie-
vements in the German social legislation 1883-89.Armand married Juliane Schellhorn-Wallbillich,daughter of a very wealthy family in Forst,and had a
son named Franz Eberhard Buhl (1867-1921).It was Franz Eberhard who united the wineries Reichsrat von Buhl and Schellhorn-Wallbillich to one of the biggest privately owned wineries in Germany in 1909.At that time,the total property expanded over 200 hectares of vineyards and forests.Franz Eberhard also changed the name of the winery from von Buhl to Reichsrat von Buhl by including his title.Apart from his achievements at Reichsrat von Buhl,Franz Eberhard was founder and president of the German association of viticulture.Afer his early death in 1921,his wife Frieda Piper von Buhl ran the estate.
She managed not only to maintain but actually increase the high quality that the estate was known for.When she passed away childless in 1952,the winery was inhereted to a political friend of Franz Eberhard,Georg Enoch Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg.
Over the years,the estate was continuously scaled down due to economic difculties in its operation,until the entire property was lef with only around
52 hectares of land under vine,albeit including the best vineyard sites in Deidesheim and Forst,such as Forster Kirchenstück,Pechstein,Jesuitengarten,Freundstück and the Deidesheim sites Leinhöhle,Herrgottsacker,Kiesleberg and Paradiesgarten.From 1989 to 2013 the winery was leased to Japanese
business man Toyohiro Tokuoka.In 2005 the winery was sold by the von Guttenberg family to local business man Achim Niederberger (1957-2013) who knew back then,that he would have to wait eight years before his team could run the estate.
Beginning with vintage 2013,the new team around technical director Mathieu Kaufmann is responsible for the estate.In August 2019,Peter Hüflein-
Seeger and Gregor Hofer took over the management of the winery.In August 2019 Peter Hüflein-Seeger and Gregor Hofer acquired management of the winery.Since April 2021 Dennis Geller,the Managing Director,has been responsible for the commercial and sales management of the winery along side
Simone Frigerio,the Winemaker,who has been in charge of the cellar.Tey see it as their task,as Managing Director and Winemaker of one of the most
traditional and renowned wineries in Germany,to continue improving and developing the traditional values and quality promised by Weingut Reichsrat von Buhl.Tey plan to continue building on what the winery has stood for since its founding in 1849: An internationally recognized top winery with the best sites of the Mittelhaardt (Pfalz).Te winery is certifed organic since 2009 and is an active ambassador of both natural,sustainable viticulture and of the best German wines.