Albert Mann
Producer website | producer profile on thewinedoctor.com.
"The Barthelme brothers, two giants in physical stature, benefit from the ideal micro-climate of Colmar, producing wines that are rich, onctuous, endowed with significant residual sugar but well integrated in concentration as is typical of Hengst and Furstentum." - Le Classement, 1999 Revue du Vin de France. The Barthelme brothers, winemaker Jacky and vitiiculturist Maurice, have now attained the recognition they deserve. Rated by The Wine Advocate Robert Parker in the top tier of Alsace producers, and Three Star Rating in The Classement by Revue du Vin de France. From the Pinot Auxerrois, through all their expressive Grand Crus, to their rich, Selection Grains Noble, they portray their unique style consistently; beautiful delineation of flavors and precise textures, never heavy, clumsy or out of balance. A bit of history. Maurice Barthelme married Albert Mann's daughter, Marie-Claire, and gradually took over the domaine. He brought his brother Jacky into the operation In 1990. From Mann, there were Grand Cru Vineyards, Hengst, Steingrubler, Pfersigberg (for Tokay VV) and the wonderful Rosenberg Vineyard. From their mother (a member of the Blanck Family of Kaysersberg) they inherited the Schlossberg and Furstentum Vineyards (as well as the Altenbourg, adjoining the Furstentum). Beginning in 1993, the Barthelme's started a string of dazzling successes. The 1998's continue this tradition, adding the character of the 1998 vintage to the Barthelme style: even more brilliant delineation from a more challenging, but in turn, rewarding "vintage of the vigneron." “In the same way that a basketball team exhibits good teamwork, winemaking duties are shared between the two Barthelme brothers, each of whom stands a good 6’6” (Jacky is at least 6’7” and plays semi-pro basketball, a fact well-known in the French press, and thus the basketball analogy). While one brother is in the vineyard, the other is in the caves. Using the best organic methods, their domaine is guided by rules of art, with carefully controlled yields, to obtain grapes of elevated maturity with rich and complex substance. These superb grapes are then transformed in a chais of gleaming stainless steel, conceived in the style of an American winery, which allows the production of wines that are clean and pure and where often the initial rich constitution of the grapes comes to light. In this modern oenology their clay-limestone soils seem to be especially favored because of their structure...” - Le Classement, 2000 Revue du Vin de France