The Forst Site the 1828 Bavarian Survey Ranked First

Kirchenstück

The Forster Kirchenstück takes its name from its position directly behind the parish church of Forst an der Weinstrasse, in the Mittelhaardt heart of the Pfalz. It is one of Germany's smallest and most valuable Riesling sites, and its standing rests on documented ground. When the Kingdom of Bavaria commissioned a classification of its vineyards in 1828, the Kirchenstück (recorded then as Kirchenbuckel) was given a value of 65, the highest score awarded to any vineyard in that survey. It has been regarded as the top-ranked site in the Pfalz ever since.

The vineyard today carries the VDP.GROSSE LAGE classification, the highest tier in the VDP's hierarchy, and its dry Rieslings are released as Grosses Gewächs.

Geography and microclimate

Kirchenstück is small, covering roughly 3.6 to 3.7 hectares. It lies low, at about 120 to 150 metres above sea level, on only a gentle gradient rather than the steep pitches associated with the Mosel or the Nahe. Its advantage comes less from elevation than from its enclosed position within the village itself. The sandstone buildings and the knee-high walls bordering the churchyard absorb solar heat through the day and radiate it back at night, generating a dry, warm airflow across the parcel in the late evening that carries off cold air and lingering moisture. That thermal buffer is a defining feature of the site.

Soils and geology

The soils are unusually varied for so small a plot. Sources describe weathered red sandstone (Buntsandstein) alongside sandy clay and sandy loam, with clay and loam partly laced with sand. Limestone rubble (Kalksteingeröll) and basalt are also present. This mix of warm sandstone, water-holding clay, and mineral-rich limestone and basalt is generally credited with the density and structure the wines are known for.

The wines

Kirchenstück Rieslings are described by the estates that make them as powerful and full-bodied, showing intense yellow-fruit character (mirabelle and apricot, at times pineapple) framed by a spicy, stony, saline quality and a long finish. The combination of the warm walled microclimate and the varied soils tends toward wines built for the cellar rather than early drinking.

Producers

Ownership of Kirchenstück is divided among several Mittelhaardt estates. Weingut Eugen Müller holds the largest share at around 1 hectare, followed by Reichsrat von Buhl at about 0.88 hectare and Dr. Bürklin-Wolf at roughly 0.54 hectare. Further landholders include Acham-Magin, Geheimer Rat Dr. von Bassermann-Jordan, Heinrich Spindler, Werlé Erben, von Winning, and the Forster Winzerverein.

Among the estates that bottle a Kirchenstück Grosses Gewächs are Dr. Bürklin-Wolf, Reichsrat von Buhl, Geheimer Rat Dr. von Bassermann-Jordan, von Winning, and Acham-Magin. Volumes can be very small: Bürklin-Wolf reportedly works only fourteen rows in the site, yielding on the order of 1,600 bottles a year, a reflection both of how little land it covers and of how finely it is divided.

A top ranking in 1828, VDP.GROSSE LAGE status, and a warm, walled microclimate over unusually diverse soils together explain why Kirchenstück is consistently counted among the finest dry-Riesling sites in Germany, and why Bürklin-Wolf and others have long likened it to the Montrachet of the Pfalz.

This comprehensive guide is part of the WineSaint Wine Region Guide collection. Last updated: August 2026.