The 2008 Pinot Noir Grand P – in whose fermentation a very small percentage of stems were retained – mingles bright black fruits with saliva-inducing salinity; however a woody element counteracts these virtues, leaving a slight dryness in the finish. There is an undeniably stony mineral element, but normally I would expect the Barthelme’s Pinot “H” from the Hengst to have the more severe sense of stoniness, and I suspect that the unnecessary tightness can be laid at the door of the barrel. The sheer core of fruit though is impressive, and it will be interesting to follow this wine’s evolution over the next half dozen years. I admit that while the Barthelme’s proclaim a very common contention – of which I’m skeptical – that the framing of wood will fall away from their Pinots in time, I have not had the chance to put this to the test by asking them to pull older bottles, something I’ll have to do.
Although Maurice and Jacky Barthelme continued to pick their 2009 Rieslings into October and achieved satisfyingly ripe flavors, they did so without suffering high alcohol or unbalanced sweetness. Unsurprisingly (whether or not verifiably), they implicate the accumulated experience and effects of a biodynamic regimen in these results. Equally importantly, the levels of acidity in their 2009 Rieslings are ample and efficacious. With Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer, they were forced to discharge high must weights in the form of almost universally high residual sugar, with attractive if seldom distinguished results. The Mann 2008s are characterized by particularly concentrated and positively efficacious acidity, all of the Rieslings weighing-in at what on paper might look like an excessive 9 grams or more. Not only have the Barthelme brothers been together now for 21 vintages – to me it still seems like yesterday that I “discovered” their 1988s – but they point out that most of their present crew has been together for nearly a decade, which is bound to have been instrumental in their having been able to repeatedly expand into new vineyards without sacrificing the highest standards, not to mention with their enthusiasm still youthful.
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