2024 Reichsrat von Buhl Deidesheimer Paradiesgarten Riesling, Pfalz

Reichsrat von Buhl has called Deidesheim home since Franz Peter Buhl founded the estate in 1849. Its history is woven through the rise of dry Riesling in the Pfalz, with an enviable collection of vineyards along the Mittelhaardt. Deidesheimer Paradiesgarten steps things up from the estate Riesling, giving us a more precise look at one of the village’s distinctive sites.

Paradiesgarten, literally “paradise garden”, lies on the gentle slopes around Deidesheim and is known for sandstone influenced soils. The site tends to produce Riesling with fragrant fruit and a graceful, approachable shape rather than sheer power. In 2024 that translates into a dry wine with bright citrus at its core, but there is more texture and vineyard character here than in the straight Trocken.

Pale straw with flashes of green. Lime and pink grapefruit open into white peach, green apple and a little apricot, with jasmine and lemon blossom adding perfume. Ginger, lemongrass and a touch of fennel follow, while wet stone and a faint smoky note give the fruit a savoury counterpoint. The palate is dry and finely textured, with juicy citrus, brisk acidity and a lovely flow through the middle. Grapefruit peel, peach and stony mineral notes linger on the finish.

Steamed coral trout with ginger, spring onion and soy has exactly the delicacy and freshness for it. Prawn and chive dumplings, grilled scallops, Vietnamese rice paper rolls or asparagus with sesame and miso are also very much in play.