Dr Bürklin Wolf - Forster Kirchenstück Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese 1925

Dr. Bürklin-Wolf – Forster Kirchenstück Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese 1925: A liquid monument to the Palatinate

The 1925 Forster Kirchenstück Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese from the Dr. Bürklin-Wolf winery is an exceptional wine that embodies the quiet grandeur of a legendary vintage and the allure of one of the Palatinate’s finest vineyards.

The Dr. Bürklin-Wolf winery looks back on a history spanning over 400 years, dating back to 1597 and its founder, Bernhard Bürklin. It acquired its current name in 1875 following the marriage of Dr Albert Bürklin to Luise Wolf. Since 1990, Bettina Bürklin-von Guradze has been running the estate, which comprises 85 hectares of vineyards – 82 per cent of which are planted with Riesling – and has established it as one of Germany’s most renowned producers. The vineyards are cultivated biodynamically.

At the heart of this wine lies the Forster Kirchenstückvineyard – a single vineyard covering just 3.6 hectares, which is not without reason referred to as the ‘Montrachet of the Palatinate’. This south-facing site at the foot of the Haardt Mountains is the only ‘Große Lage’ (Grand Cru) east of the Weinstraße. As far back as the Royal Bavarian vineyard classification of 1828, the Kirchenstück was the only site to be awarded the highest rating. The soils, consisting of weathered sandstone and basalt, lend the wines their enormous complexity and a veritable profusion of aromas. The estate owns a 0.6-hectare plot in this prestigious site.

The 1925 vintage was characterised by good conditions in the Palatinate and is of historical significance: it was the last vintage witnessed by Luise Wolf, who married Privy Councillor Dr Albert Bürklin in 1875 and gave the winery its current name. The Trockenbeerenauslese from this year remains a benchmark wine for the estate to this day – the label of the 1925 TBA still adorns the modern ‘Hommage à Luise’ range.

After over 95 years of ageing in the bottle, this wine is in a condition enjoyed by very few bottles. The colour is likely to be a deep, luminous gold to amber. The nose unfolds the classic tertiary aromas of a great, matured TBA: notes of dried apricots, honey, caramel and candied citrus fruits, underpinned by the petrol note typical of old Palatinate Rieslings and a delicate minerality. On the palate, there is a harmonious balance of sweetness and acidity, which retains a remarkable vibrancy and length despite its age.

The bottle is described as having a fill level of 1 cm below the capsule, with an intact label and capsule – an exceptionally good state of preservation for its age. For lovers of great German sweet wines, this 1925 Forster Kirchenstück Trockenbeerenauslese is an extraordinary experience – a liquid testament to a bygone era of German viticulture and a rare find from the cellar of one of the Palatinate’s most traditional wineries.