Candied orange rind, peach preserves, and marzipan on the nose of Barmes-Buecher’s 2008 Gewurztraminer Pfersigberg are supported on the palate by 77 grams residual sugar, setting a confectionary tone that carries through the finish. This is illustrative of the tendency in this collection for obvious Gewurztraminer character to be sublimated, since one could easily imagine it were a Pinot Gris. The acids are measurably low but there is no sense of deficiency. Salted caramel, sauteed mushroom, and faint intimations of rose petal modulate the confectionary notes in a soothingly sustained finish. I would expect this to hold up well for at least 10-12 years. As Francois Barmes was in the U.S. presenting his wines all the time that I was in Alsace last November, I tasted with his wife Genevieve and (for the first time in serious conversation with) his son Maxime, who clearly has the sharp wits and experimental spirit to harness his youthful enthusiasm. (I did not, however, ask him to play devil’s advocate in the case for biodynamics, which is by now a well-established practice at this address! For more on Barmes’ methodology, consult my report in issue 188.) Most of the 2009 Rieslings were almost shockingly low in acidity, but whether or not and if so to what degree they were thereby handicapped varied depending on the individual cuvee. Overall, Barmes’ approach to this vintage seems to have been to avoid problems from rapidly-ascending sugar and low acidity by picking relatively early, even if at the price of capturing only modestly ripe flavors. The array of 2009s I have reviewed is somewhat abbreviated, first on account of decisions the domaine made to conflate or omit the bottling of certain cuvees; secondly because a couple of Pinot Gris were still fermenting when I visited last November; and thirdly since from among a trio of whites still in tank awaiting sulfuring and bottling – testimony to the anomalously and inexplicably slow evolution of 2009s at this address – only one was in condition amenable to assessment. The 2008 collection is, thankfully, much more typically excellent.Importer: Sussex Wine Merchants, Moorestown, NJ; tel. (856) 608 9644; also, a Thomas Calder Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011-33-1-46-45-15-29

Barmes’ 2005 Gewurztraminer Pfersigberg features pineapple, licorice, and bitter-sweet floral aromas that hardly betray it as Gewurztraminer. Silken-textured and rich on the palate, it reveals meaty and spicy dimensions more familiar from its variety and finishes (somewhat sweetly) both broad and long. The affable Francois Barmes vocally advocates biodynamic viticulture and earlier harvesting to achieve balanced wines of juicy fruit and digestabilite. That said, more than a few of those I tasted were big-bodied to say the least, and certain of them could not handle their alcohol.Importer: Sussex Wine Merchants, Moorestown, NJ; tel. (856) 608 9644; also, a Thomas Calder Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011-33-1-46-45-15-29.