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Schieferkopf Riesling Lieu-Dit Buehl 2021 is a single-vineyard Alsace Riesling from one of the most celebrated parcels in the village of Bernardvillé, and one of the most significant Riesling discoveries of recent years.
In a recent panel tasting published in The Wine Merchant magazine, the three Schieferkopf Lieu-Dit Rieslings ranked 1st, 3rd, and 5th from a world-class field of twelve. Buehl took 1st place — an exceptional result that highlights its position as the most expressive, powerful, and complete wine of the trio.
Buy Schieferkopf Riesling Lieu-Dit Buehl 2021 at Fareham Wine Cellar. The Lieu-Dit Berg and Fels are also available.
The Lieu-Dit of Buehl sits in a uniquely favoured microclimate near the village of Bernardvillé in Alsace, planted on ancient Precambrian blue schist subsoils. Positioned on a beautifully exposed slope, Buehl captures optimal warmth while benefiting from cool night breezes off the Vosges mountains.
Its soils are deeper than those of the neighbouring Fels plot (over 30cm) and give the wines from the Buehl vineyard their powerful structure. A southern exposure and a steeply sloping hillside (up to 40%) result in a remarkably round and concentrated wine.
The resulting Riesling balances vibrant, ripe citrus and orchard fruit warmth with a striking, flinty blue-schist minerality and impressive length on the palate.
Schieferkopf, which means “schist-head” in Alsatian dialect, is the Alsace project of Michel Chapoutier, whose family domaine in the northern Rhône has pioneered biodynamic viticulture and single-site precision for decades. The Bernardvillé project applies this same site-specific philosophy to Alsace’s rare blue schist soils, producing a range of Lieu-Dit wines that express parcel variation with extraordinary clarity. The Lieu-Dit series — Buehl, Berg, and Fels — represents three of the most compelling single-vineyard Rieslings coming out of France today.
Maison Chapoutier has grown into one of the most respected names in French wine. The family lineage dates back to 1808 when Polydor Chapoutier acquired his first vineyards in the Rhône Valley. Today, the family holdings span celebrated appellations including Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and Gigondas.
Michel Chapoutier’s unwavering commitment to environmental health led him to cultivate the largest biodynamic vineyard footprint in Europe. In Michel’s words, “the complexity in a wine comes from the level of microbiological activity around the vine roots.”
As with all of Chapoutier’s wines, the label also features a description in Braille.
Appearance: Brilliant, golden yellow colour in the glass, with delicate light-green highlights.
Nose: Open and vibrant, bursting with exotic fruit aromas of juicy pineapple and ripe mango – a reflection of Buehl’s sunny, south-facing slope. These warm tropical notes are layered alongside graceful floral expressions of white spring blossoms and underlying, flinty blue schist minerality.
Palate: Generous and beautiful on the palate, offering impressive volume, a rich, mouth-coating texture, and a complex, tightly wound structure that balances radiant fruit warmth with vibrant, driving mineral acidity through a long, dry finish.
Buehl’s tropical pineapple and ripe mango notes provide a natural bridge to pan-seared scallops, roasted pork tenderloin, or lightly spiced Asian cuisine, while its firm blue-schist acidity cuts effortlessly through the richness of Alsatian choucroute, creamy goat’s cheese, or smoked trout.
Q: What makes the Schieferkopf Lieu-Dit Buehl 2021 unique compared to other Alsace Rieslings?
A: Schieferkopf Lieu-Dit Buehl 2021 originates from a rare single parcel in Bernardvillé planted on ancient Precambrian blue schist soils rather than typical Alsatian limestone or granite. This unique blue schist terroir imparts a distinct flinty minerality and linear tension, which is complemented by full malolactic fermentation and 15 months of ageing in large oak casks (foudres) to deliver exceptional volume, texture, and complex tropical fruit notes.
Q: What food pairs best with Schieferkopf Riesling Lieu-Dit Buehl 2021?
A: Thanks to its rich texture and balancing acidity, Buehl 2021 pairs magnificently with both delicate and full-flavoured dishes. Its exotic fruit notes complement pan-seared sea scallops, roasted pork tenderloin, and aromatic Asian dishes like Thai green curry, while its firm blue-schist minerality cuts seamlessly through richer fare such as Alsatian choucroute garnie, smoked trout, and creamy goat’s cheese.
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