2005 Domaine Barmès-Buecher Riesling Hengst
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Tasting notes
The 2005 Riesling Hengst is another large-scale (14% alcohol) Barmes bottling, and a striking Riesling so lush in pineapple and peach fruit, and so loaded with chalk, lemon zest, and white pepper (along with a note of juniper), that I might have mistaken it blind for a top-class Gruner Veltliner. The long, strong finish matches rich fruit to chalky minerality every step of the way. This is one of those drink-it-before-it-drinks-you sort of powerhouse wines, but that doesn’t mean it might not reward some indeterminate number of years in bottle. 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.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
David Schildknecht, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Pale, bright yellow. Expressive aromas of pineapple and dusty stone; a bit more exotic than the Steingrubler. Round, ripe and mouthfilling, with enticinge flavors of pineapple, lemon curd, cherry-almond and smoke. With its compelling palate-coating breadth and tactile texture, this is deceptively tasteable now. But the powerful, rich, fairly dry finish, with its flavors of liquid stone and pineapple, suggests that this will blossom with five to seven years of cellaring.