Tasted from (the total production of!) two used barriques, Bursin’s 2005 Pinot Noir signals both her seriousness with this variety and the suitability for it of her deep chalky parcel in the Strangenberg vineyard. Redolent of cassis and blackberry and with smoky, spicy, cocoa powder, and toasted praline accents, this preserves lovely primary fruit for a sappy, juicy finish, but doesn’t lack for mineral or carnal dimensions. Promisingly, it exhibits formidable concentration, fine tannins, and seamless ripeness of flavor at only barely over 13% alcohol. It will be interesting to follow for a few years. Agathe Bursin – whose inaugural vintage was 2000, prior to which her family sold their grapes to the local coop – is one of Alsace’s major emerging talents. Although this widely-traveled young viticultrice (her preferred title) farms fewer only ten acres and is already chronically sold out, she says she does not intend to increase production by more than another third, and then only over the long run. Bursin indicated she had more botrytis in 2005 than in 2004, even though she harvested quite late (and even though this is the opposite experience from that of Mure in neighboring Rouffach) because Westhalten’s clay-poor soils generally retain very little moisture.A Thomas Calder Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011-33-1-46-45-15-29.
粵公網(wǎng)安備 44030502006249號