Domaine Barmes-Buecher ‘Sand’ Lieux Dits Pinot Blanc 2020

Domaine Barmès‑Buecher was created in 1985 by François Barmès and Geneviève Barmès (born Buecher) with vineyards that had been in their families since the 17th century. The family Domaine in Wettolsheim, Alsace, founded when Geneviève (née Buecher) and François Barmès combined their long‑held family vineyards in 1985. In 1995 the vibrant couple converted the Domaine to biodynamics, working in accordance to the cycle of the planets and the moon. The goal was simple: to encourage the vines to return to their natural state of being that had been masked by modern man’s agriculture and to encourage each vine to find harmony and balance.

Barmès Buecher is a Domaine with a unique energy and harmony. Geneviève and François, aided by their children, Sophie and Maxime, have sixteen hectares of vines that each year produce wines that respond to the ebb and flow of Mother Nature and which always carry the Barmès signature. A bottle of Barmès Buecher is the result of carefully orchestrated work that occurs day in and day out 365 days a year with the sole goal of extracting the truest and purest expression of varietal, vintage, and terroir. Wines prioritise purity, balance and varietal expression; low yields and meticulous vineyard work produce concentrated, terroir‑driven bottlings with a focus on harmony rather than heavy manipulation in cellar.

Biodynamically certified since the 2001 vintage. Vineyard holdings are spread across several communes near Colmar (Wettolsheim, Wintzenheim, Turckheim, Eguisheim) and include parcels on Grand Cru sites. Soils are varied (including granite) and the domaine keeps yields low to concentrate flavour and reflect site character.

100% Pinot Blanc on Granite.

James Suckling

Domaine Barmes-Buecher Sand Lieux Dits Pinot Blanc 2020 – 95 / 100 Points

This is like being beamed into an alternative universe! Amazing fragrance of lemon blossom, lemon balm, chamomile and dry grass! Then comes the very focused and intensely saline palate with Burgundian-like richness in the middle that’s like nothing else I ever encountered in this region. A 100% pinot blanc from a vineyard with granitic soil, but that alone doesn’t explain this mind-bending originality. From biodynamically grown grapes.

– James Suckling