WTNs 2005 Barmes-Buecher -all of them (almost)

I visited Francois Barmes in Wettolsheim on Saturday. The depth of dedication to the practice of winemaking (and of Biodynamics) was astounding. My previous experience had been the '02s, many of which had prematurely stopped fermenting and were a little clumsy. The '05s are fully dry and fabulously complex. It seems that Barmes-Buecher is no longer just an underrated producer, but one seriously on the move and a joy to visit.

Cremant D'Alsace Brut 2005
Pinot Blanc/Chardonnay/Pinot Gris -Disgorged in Oct.
Light and frothy with much lift and mousse like shaving cream. Apples, citrus fruit, lemon zest, no apparent bready, biscuit at this stage. Feather-light, but beautiful.

Edelswicker Sept Grains 2005
Pinot Gris/Gewurztraminer/Pinot Blanc/Muscat/Sylvaner/Riesling/Auxerrois
Aromatic and easy, stewed fruit, apple sauce, tropical fruit, pretty good acidity.

Pinot D'Alsace 2005
100% Auxerrois
Apple pie, melon rind, white flowers, full throttle ripenss, but not heavy or clunky. Round and creamy.

Riesling Tradition 2005
Young vines -Fresh and focused with crunchy granny smith apple, a little mineral and good acidity. Not too complex, but not supposed to be.

Muscat Ottonel 2005
Francois does not the the heft and weight of Muscat a Petite Grains, and so chooses Ottonel because it holds its freshness longer. Perfumed, spiced orange, citrus fruit, jasmine, rosewater. Drier even for Alsace. Great! -Pass the Spargel!!!

Sylvaner Rosenberg de Wettolsheim V.V. 2005
Ripe and richly textured style Sylvaner (much like Zotzenberg if a little more restrained). Very mineral with lemon custard and gravelly stoniness. Very Good!

Pinot Blanc Rosenberg de Wettolsheim 2005
Very Beaune Blanc (in minerature)-Dry honey, toffee, apples, pineapple, vanilla.

Riesling Herrenweg de turkheim 2005
Dry and very mineral with green apple, grapefruit, kerosene and mouth-puckering acidity. Like getting shot in the mouth. Wonderful!

Riesling Clos Sand 2005
Medium-bodied, but forcefully acidic with Intense apple and kiwi fruit and marked floral character.

Riesling Rosenberg 2005
Peach and Apricot, with peach skin, apple blossoms and push. Like a Marcobrunner with a little more baby fat and less power.

Riesling Leimenthal 2005
Riper still and more juicy yellow apple and stone fruit. Sappy and satisfying. Elegant, but shows muscle too.

Riesling Steingrubler Grand Cru 2005
Aristocratic and classy. Seamless lemon and starfruit, pie crust, sancerre'y' like chalkiness and wonderfully balance. Needs more time to emerge.

Riesling Hengst Grand Cru 2005
Full-bodied and bold, but with explosive acidity. Stonefruit, orange, apple, steely, tinny, mineral and hints of mineral oils. A sleeping giant.

Pinot Gris Herrenweg de Turkheim 2005
Tropical fruit, gun smoke, great acidity, a drier style with more precision.

Pinot Gris Pfleck de Wettolsheim 2005
A very giving wine. Syruppy Pineapple and mango fruit, crowd pleasing and juicy. A hooker with a heart of gold.

Pinot Gris Rosenberg de Wettolsheim Silicis 2005
Pineapple fruit, pencil lead, smoked ham and roasted nuts. Another white burgundy look-alike. Excellent.

Pinot Gris Rosenberg de Wettolsheim Calcarius 2005
Papaya, mango fruit, nice acidity with mineral and acid bath. Not as distinct as Silicis, but yummy just the same.

Gewurztraminer Herrenweg de Turkheim 2005
Rosepetals, lychee, Christmas spice. Off-dry with mineral that usually can't emerge from Gewurztraminers shadow of spice. Blanced and fresh.

Gewurztraminer Rosenberg de Wettolsheim 2005
One of the most restrained and refined Gewurztraminers in the land. Very balanced and a real eye-opener. A Gewurztraminer food-pairing expansion kit.

Gewurztraminer Winzenheim 2005
Bruised peach and apricot with a dull, back of the mouth spice like chili-powder. Rosepetals, white pepper.

Gewurztraminer Pfersigberg Grand Cru 2005
A great vineyard for acid retention, which this wine has in spades. There is a lifted intensity and precision of fruit rarely found in this grape. Peach, apples, crushed sea shell mineral and acacia aromas.

Gewurztraminer Steingrubler Grand Cru 2005
Peach, vanilla, marzipan, roses, and spice-trade aromas. Shows excellent potential, but the least showy now.

Gewurztraminer Hengst Grand Cru 2005
Big, classically styled Gewurztraminer. Stonefruit, ginger, jasmine, rosepetals. Like getting smacked in the face by a bouquet of flowers.

Pinot Noir Reserve 2005
Great balance and a good barometer for '05 Pinot in Alsace. Lush cherry fruit, dried herbs, liquorice, and tar with supple tannins. Nicely done.


Prost!
Bill

[James Roscoe]

Bill, those are great notes. I love your descriptors! Do they distribute in the US? Where are they allocated if they do import? I love Alsatian wines and these sound fabulous. Thanks for filling us in!

James,

They do distribute to the U.S. I think it is mostly through small, local importers. We have them here in MN, but I don't know where else they are available. I'm sure both coasts have representation.


Prost!
Bill

NBI used to import them, but were dropped. Apparently it was difficult to sell lots of Alsatian wine for them.

you can get a fair range of them at moore bros in pennsauken, nj. road trip!

[James Roscoe]

you can get a fair range of them at moore bros in pennsauken, nj. road trip!

My parents live 30 minutes from Pennsauken in the NE Philly 'burbs. A road trip may indeed be in order. Thanks for the tip!

Hi Bill
Many thanks for the notes. After the visit and tasting maybe you are in a position to answer a question for me. A few years ago I drank the Barmes Buecher Pinot Gris Rosenberg Silicis. It was a big wine, tropical fruit and a fair amount of residual sugar. Is this the house style for all their Pinot gris, towards the sweet side? Are there certain cuvees that are always made into a dryer style or does it vary vintage to vintage?

Thanks for any insights. I bought a mixed case of BB in 2002 and thought the rieslings were very good, some are still in the cellar. Do you have any idea as to drinking windows for the 02 rieslings from Hengst, Steingrubler, and Kruet?

Best,
Marc

Marc, if I can step in, when visiting Albert Mann I was told in a good year the PG shows more hints of tropical fruits and sorta botrytis feel about the taste.
I myself cellar the big rieslings for about 8 yrs!

its pretty easy to find. so from their place you would either come down 95 and across the ben franklyn or across one of the more northern bridges and down 130. either way you will hit the traffic circle where admiral wilson and rt 38 and rt 130 all come together. go south on 130 to the first light and take the jug handle back across 130. it is just on the left.

Hi Bill
Many thanks for the notes. After the visit and tasting maybe you are in a position to answer a question for me. A few years ago I drank the Barmes Buecher Pinot Gris Rosenberg Silicis. It was a big wine, tropical fruit and a fair amount of residual sugar. Is this the house style for all their Pinot gris, towards the sweet side? Are there certain cuvees that are always made into a dryer style or does it vary vintage to vintage?

Thanks for any insights. I bought a mixed case of BB in 2002 and thought the rieslings were very good, some are still in the cellar. Do you have any idea as to drinking windows for the 02 rieslings from Hengst, Steingrubler, and Kruet?

Best,
Marc

Marc,
You're dead on about the '02s. I asked about the style change and was told that the 2002s (The Rosenberg Silicis was the culprit that sparked the question) were a victim of stalled fermentation (One of the criticisms of Olivier Humbrecht’s wines). Since no aggressive commercial yeasts have been used in any vintage to my knowledge, there must have been another reason. In any case, the 2005s were fully fermented and showed much more posture with far less (bone dry in fact) peach preserve character. I would call the '02 style a freakish (but freakishly good) variation. Francois was adamant about not drinking the wines too young and would much rather consumers drink them with a few years of age (so much so that he releases late despite the added expense of inventorying). I haven't tasted an '02 lately (other than the Rosenberg which has years ahead of it), but ten to fifteen years should be about right for a mature but not menopausal Hengst Riesling.


Prost!
Bill

[James Roscoe]

its pretty easy to find. so from their place you would either come down 95 and across the ben franklyn or across one of the more northern bridges and down 130. either way you will hit the traffic circle where admiral wilson and rt 38 and rt 130 all come together. go south on 130 to the first light and take the jug handle back across 130. it is just on the left.

I think I remember that place from when I was a teen growing up in PA, 'nuff said.