Holger Koch, Chardonnay Herrenstuck 2022

Regardless whether Pinot Blanc (Weissburgunder), Pinot Gris (Grauburgunder) or Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder)- the Burgundian varietals reign supreme in this little boutique winery of Gabriele and Holger Koch. In fact Holger is considered somewhat of a Burgundy specialist in local circles and takes a very Burgundian approach and viewpoint across various aspects of his winemaking philosophy. On of those is in the viewpoint of "small is beautiful" as the couple decided to not expand beyond their 8ha in order to keep the winery manageable for the family. In fact all vineyards are within 10 minutes by tractor from the winery cellar. Their individual vineyard plots are dotted across the Kaiserstuhl (Chair of the Emperor) a site renown for its volcanic soil and Herrenstück, a site at elevations up to 400 metres.

But lets start at the beginning. Holger Koch and Gabriele Engesser founded the winery in 2001. The family has been involved within viticulture in Bickensohl for many generations, serving as grape suppliers to the local cooperative as far back as 1923. But in order to bring their personal vision of great wine to life, they decided to move the winemaking process back in house.

The early years were extremely challenging, with simple facilities in garages serving as makeshift cellar. A significant advancement came with the construction of a new cellar and residential building in 2008. These formative years concluded in 2017 with the building of a new wine storage facility for barrel aging and bottle maturation. The Kochs place a high value on maintaining a small, manageable operation that remains family-oriented and controllable. Despite increasing demand and plenty of offers, they have opted against expanding their land area in order to perform the work themselves, allowing to design and evolve their processes individually. The Kochs manage their entire operation sustainably, largely using organic practices, without synthetic fertilizers or herbicides.

Since 2008, they have been heating with a groundwater heat pump, which also cools the wine cellar. Since 2018, they have operated a large photovoltaic system and collect rainwater for irrigation.