The winery is located in the municipality of Deidesheim in the German wine-growing region of Pfalz. It emerged from a hereditary division of the Jordan estate. In 1849, Jordan's son-in-law Franz Peter Buhl (1809-1862) inherited a large part. The inheritance was carried on by his son Franz Armand Buhl (1837-1896), and under his leadership the estate achieved international fame for its Rieslings. Highest awards were won at world exhibitions (Paris) and events. At that time, Buhl wines were among the most expensive in the world. In 1869, at the opening of the Suez Canal, a Buhl's Riesling was toasted. The German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898) was a great lover of Buhl wines and his quote "This monster tastes monstrous to me" made the Forster Ungeheuer vineyard world famous.
The winery was given its current name by Reichsrat Franz Eberhard von Buhl, the son of Armand and Juliane Schellhorn-Wallbillich, who was the third generation to run the winery. He integrated the title "Reichsrat" into the name of the winery in 1912. After Franz Eberhard's death, his wife Frieda Pieper von Buhl continued to run the business. After the death of the childless widow, the winery was bequeathed, in accordance with Franz Eberhard's testamentary wishes, to her previously adopted political friend, Reichsfreiherr Karl Theodor Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg.
His son Georg Enoch Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg took over the estate in 1972. From 1989 to 2013 it was leased to Japanese investors, and in 2005 it was sold to an entrepreneur from Neustadt, to whose group of companies it has belonged ever since. Since the end of the lease in 2013, the winery has been run by the owner family. Since March 2023, Monika Schmid, as managing director, has been responsible for the commercial and sales management of the winery, and Simone Frigerio as technical director, as well as managing director for the cellar. The owner family's holdings also include the two wineries Bassermann-Jordan and Weingut von Winning.
The vineyards cover a total of 56 hectares. A large part of it is located in the single vineyard sites Herrgottsacker, Kieselberg, Leinhöhle, Mäushöhle and Paradiesgarten (Deidesheim), Freundstück, Jesuitengarten, Kirchenstück, Musenhang, Pechstein and Ungeheuer (Forst), as well as Reiterpfad (Ruppertsberg). About 80 % are planted with Riesling, the rest with Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Muscat, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Rieslaner and Scheurebe. Since 2004, the vineyards have been cultivated according to certified organic viticulture guidelines.
The winery sees its exceptional portfolio of the best vineyards in the Mittelhaardt region as an obligation to produce the best wines from each vineyard. According to the company's philosophy, this is only possible at in harmony with nature. The winery sees itself as an ambassador of natural viticulture, combining the experience of over 170 years of winegrowing with contemporary knowledge of ecology and sustainability. The aim is to make the origin of the grapes and the terroir tangible in the wines and sparkling wines. Through a lot of time and effort during the entire vegetation cycle, healthy, aroma-intensive and high-quality grapes are produced. Important points here are the uncompromising reduction of yields and the selective hand harvest. This lays the foundation for long-lived wines full of character.
The wines are marketed in the lines varietal wines, Von Buhl, Erste Lage, noble sweet wines, as well as the top line Grosse Gewächse Pfalz. Since the beginning of the 2000s, the winery has also been a sparkling wine producer. The sparkling wines are produced exclusively with traditional bottle fermentation. The fermentation of the base wines takes place in stainless steel tanks and in 500-litre tonneau barrels. The Prestige sparkling wines form the qualitative top of the collection. Only the best of the selectively hand-picked grapes are used for this. These sparkling wines then mature on their lees for at least 40 months.
Since 2022, the winery has been certified according to the "Ecostep Wine" guidelines. In addition to the criteria of climate and the environment according to DIN ISO-14001, quality management according to DIN ISO-9001, occupational health and safety according to DIN ISO-45001, as well as food safety FSSC 22000 (standard for ensuring food safety in the production of food) are also taken into account. The winery is a founding member of the VDP.
