Domaine Laurent Barth

Bennwihr, Alsace

Laurent’s vines are located in the village of Bennwhir, in the area north of Colmar with a particularly felicitous micro-climate, home to the most famous wine villages in Alsace. The village itself is hardly picturesque, having been almost entirely destroyed during the battles for the liberation of Colmar at the end of WWII.

Laurent took over his father’s estate in 1999 and for five years brought his grapes to the local cooperative, as his contract required. 2004 was the first vintage he made and sold his wines. Before coming home, Laurent had spent several years as a travelling winemaker around the world, in Lebanon at Château Kefraya in the Beeka plain, in South Africa at Bergkelder in the Stellenbosch vineyard area, in California at Porter Creek in Sonoma, in India at Champagne India in Maharashtra, and finally in Australia at Delatite Winery in Central Victoria. 

He now he tends 3.5 hectares planted with the seven traditional Alsatian varietals spread over 28 different plots. The soils go from very heavy clay and marl to super light alluvial soil of sand and pebbles; "Grand Cru Marckrain" is marl and limestone, "Rebgarten" is limestone to clay as well as limestone with lots of rocks (limestone, sandstone and quartz), Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc thrive on sandy-limestone soils with some clay. It is fairly common that Laurent produces 10 or more cuvées in his cellar each vintage.

In the vines, every other row plowed annually, with natural grass left to grow, alternating each year. 

Treatments are sulfur, copper, magnesium, calcium and algae, rich in oligo-elements, used in solutions to spray the foliage. Organic compost is used in the fall according to the soils’ needs. One of the main jobs of the growing season, after pruning, is a severe ébourgeonnage in the spring, to leave 8 to 10 grapes by vine (“debudding” is the removing, at an early stage, of the fruit bearing buds that are superfluous, in order to restrict yields). 

Laurent aims for an average 40HL/HA overall, while the legal limit in Alsace is 80HL/HA (55HL/HA in the Grands Crus). Another way of limiting yields is by planting at a higher density: for example, a plot of Pinot Gris planted in 2001 with vines from sélection massale, has 8600 vines/HA. The norm in Alsace is 4500 to 5000 vines/HA.

In order to achieve maximum ripeness, Laurent uses a double Guyot (two major shoots for each vine) that increases the proportion of foliage per vine. He also keeps as much foliage as possible by training the boughs up between the treillissage wires and letting them shoot as high as they can, without any trimming. 

His wines are bright, pure, very satisfying. The cuvée he calls "Racines Métisses" is a blend of the pressed juices from all his varietals except Gewürztraminer, a delicious type of Edelzwicker that deserves not to be called by that often pejorative name. The free run juice goes into the single-varietalcuvées with intensified grape and soil character, more aromas and more minerality. The slow process of natural fermentation adds depth to the wines, but involves some risk of higher volatile acidity and of malolactic fermentation. When the malo occurs, although he does not desire it, Laurent does not sulfur his wines to stop it. His idea is that natural winemaking may result in some imperfections, but those are part of the wine’s identity, and are always better than technical and analytical perfection.