2017 Domaine Barmes Buecher Steingrubler Riesling Grand Cru, Alsace

Medium yellow colour, showing some development; there is the beginning of toast on the nose, too. Wax and straw aromas, beeswax as well as candle wax, poached apricot/fruit compote also, the barrel contact evident in the savouriness and palate texture. There is also muted varieal character as a result: the wine is complex and talks about more than simple varietal fruit. Delicious, sweetly ripe fruit and mild, harmonious acidity.12.5% Drink 2022-2029

95 points Huon Hooke therealreview.com

Domaine Barmès-Buecher Steingrübler Riesling Grand Cru is one of Alsace’s most profound and intellectual Rieslings, grown on the steep granite slopes above the village of Wettolsheim, where altitude, exposure and soil combine to create wines of remarkable energy and longevity. Steingrübler is a south facing Grand Cru site composed almost entirely of decomposed granite, a soil that drains freely, warms quickly and gives Riesling its signature drive, precision and piercing minerality. These vineyards sit high on the Vosges foothills, protected from rainfall and cooled by mountain air, allowing grapes to ripen slowly while retaining vivid acidity.

Domaine Barmès-Buecher is one of Alsace’s great biodynamic pioneers. The estate was shaped by the late François Barmès, a passionate advocate for living soils and expressive terroir, and today is led by his widow Sophie Barmès and their sons Maxime and François. The domaine farms entirely biodynamically, working by hand on these steep slopes, encouraging deep root systems and harvesting at full physiological ripeness rather than chasing sugar levels. Fermentations are slow and natural, often extending over many months, and the wines are allowed to settle and mature without haste, a philosophy that gives them their extraordinary depth and calm authority.

In the glass Steingrübler Riesling Grand Cru shows a pale gold colour with green highlights. Aromas are intense yet restrained, revealing lime zest, white peach, green apple, citrus blossom and a distinctive crushed stone and smoky mineral note that speaks clearly of granite. The palate is dry, powerful and tightly coiled, layering citrus and stone fruit with a firm, salty mineral spine and vibrant acidity that carries the wine long across the palate. Despite its concentration, the wine feels weightless and precise, built not for immediate pleasure but for long, graceful evolution.

This is a Riesling made for the table and for time. It pairs beautifully with seafood, shellfish, pork, Asian spiced dishes and alpine cheeses, and it will age effortlessly for twenty years or more, developing honeyed, smoky and savoury complexity while retaining its remarkable freshness. Domaine Barmès-Buecher Steingrübler Riesling Grand Cru is Alsace at its most serious and expressive, a wine that rewards patience and deep attention.