2011 Domaine Barmès-Buecher Riesling Steingrubler

The Barmes-Buecher’s 2011 Riesling Steingrubler, which I have not had chance to taste subsequent to its assemblage from tank and cask portions, not to mention its bottling, offers nut oil and herb aromas that anticipate the flavors on a palate of polish and stuffing yet with more than enough primary juiciness to refresh. Apple and turnip are suffused with herbs and crushed stone in a lingering finish. This ought to merit attention through 2020. In November, 2011, Francois Barmes was struck by a car and killed while riding his bicycle in the neighborhood. This dedicated and innovative pioneer in biodynamic viticulture will be sorely missed by the entire Alsace wine growing community. His wife Genevieve and son Maxime – about whom I wrote three years ago that he “clearly has the sharp wits and experimental spirit to harness his youthful enthusiasm” – will carry on the work of their family domaine and they showed me their 2010s and 2011s on my most recent visit. 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