2013 Domaine Barmes-Buecher Gewurztraminer Pfersigberg Grand Cru (500 mL) 500 ml

A 95pt Multi-Variable Experiment at Grand Cru Pfersigberg

François Barmès was one of the most revered winegrowers in France. Long before the tragic mountain-bike accident that took his life, Barmès became one of the most disciplined practitioners of biodynamic farming, treating his vines with homeopathic potions tuned to cycles of the moon. Those who were skeptical about François’ viticultural techniques prior to making the pilgrimage to the Hansel and Gretel hamlet of Wettolsheim returned home with a new outlook on winegrowing.

After François’ death, his son Maxime left his enology and viticulture studies behind and returned to Wettolsheim to take charge of his family’s estate. Many wondered if the 20-year-old could possibly be up to the task.

Suffice it to say that after the release of Maxime’s staggering 2013s — and one of the most electrifying late-harvest Gewürztraminers of the vintage — at Domaine Barmès-Buecher, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

In August 2008, we visited Wettolsheim as we had every summer since we first met the family in 1992. Typically, our summer visits took place in June, but that year, François specifically requested that we come in late August. Nearly every grower in Alsace had departed for a 10-day to two-week vacation before the September harvest. But not François and his teenage son. We spent an unforgettable day in the vines with Barmèses, helping them conduct a multi-variable experiment that would shape the Gewürztraminer harvest on the Grand Cru Pfersigberg vineyard.

Every three rows of Pfersigberg would be tended differently in the last weeks before harvest. In row 1, when the Jack and the Beanstalk vines (over 8 feet in height!) reached their apex, the vine was clipped. In row 2, the vine was left untouched. And in row 3 — the rows in which we worked — while the plants weren’t clipped, we tied one plant to the next in a sort of intricate vineyard braid.

Each row was subsequently picked and vinified separately. The result? The row 3 harvest yielded Gewürztraminer with the highest sugar content, while acids remained intact. As Maxime told us last week by phone, it was that multi-variable experiment that helped make for the highest-rated $35 Alsatian white wines of the last decade.

The 2013 Barmès-Buecher Pfersigberg Grand Cru is a marvel. Brilliant straw-gold with exotic aromas of piña colada, vanilla, citrus tart, and honeysuckle. Terrifically concentrated, dense, complex, with layer upon layer of tropical fruits and bitter lemon, finishing with zesty vibrancy and length. Residual sugar came in at 128 g/l, yet total acidity measures a crisp 4.8 g/l! While unquestionably sweet, this is a wine of such superb natural balance that it can be consumed as an aperitif, with smoked salmon, ripe muenster cheese, or with char-broiled wild salmon.

95 points from Antonio Galloni’s Vinous (terrific review below). $35 per bottle today on WineAccess. 240 bottles are headed stateside, all of which are earmarked for WineAccess. Shipping included on just 4.