2013 Domaine Barmes-Buecher Cremant d’Alsace Brut Zero

2005 Vinexpo Champagne “Brut Zero”

It’s the most complex under-$20 sparkling wine in the world, a Champagne look-alike that many of France’s Michelin-starred sommeliers claim trumps the real thing.

As a teenager, François Barmès was a daredevil, cornering his moped at 20 m.p.h. on noisy midnight runs. When Barmès took over his and his wife’s family domains, his approach was much the same. Barmès quickly gained a reputation for working on the edge, experimenting relentlessly in the vines and the cellar. Arguably the most passionate torchbearer of the biodynamic farming movement in France, Barmès was known all over Europe for his homeopathic concoctions and treatments, as well as the astonishing health of his vines.

But of all of his winemaking gambles, none was more brazen than François Barmès’s exquisite Crément D’Alsace Brut Zero, a bottle whose origins can be traced back to Vinexpo 2005.

The signature brilliance of Champagne lies in its bracing limestone vibrancy. But the vines of Bouzy and Cramant often struggle to bring Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to physiological maturity. As a result, prior to bottling, Champagne houses generally ‘dose’ bottles with a mix of base wine and cane sugar, adding sweetness to counterbalance the stinging acidity of the region. Nineteen out of 20 bottles of Champagne that make it the U.S. market are labeled “Brut” — but measure 6-12 grams per liter of residual sugar.

In the summer of 2005, François was in attendance when president Hervé Augustin unveiled the storied Ayala Brut Nature Champagne at Vinexpo. Augustin contended that truly superb Champagne, made from ripe Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, could do without the sugary addition. Many considered Hervé’s experiment little more than a marketing gimmick. But François Barmès was enthralled.

Years later, Barmès would tell us that when he returned to Wettolsheim after the wine fair in Bordeaux, he could no longer drink his own Crémant. “I never chaptalize (add sugar to) my still wines. Why then was I adding it to the Méthode Champenoise?” he asked. “My Crémant was just too fat. I needed to rein it in.” It wouldn’t be long before François Barmès’s sparkling wine was taking a page out the Ayala Brut Nature script.

The 2013 Barmès-Buecher Crément D’Alsace Brut Zero is one of the estate’s most stunning to date, a true homage to the brilliance of François, and a triumphant effort by 25-year-old Maxime. Pale golden-green in color, the size of the bubbles speaks of Cramant or Bouzy. Refined and beautifully restrained on the nose, infused with green apple, pear, and anise. Rich and juicy on the attack — absent any suggestion of the sugary additive — a wound-up mix of apricot, citrus, and apple compote. The finish is crisp, zesty, and limestone pure.

As close as you’ll ever get to Reims or Épernay under-$20/bottle, 100 cases of Barmès-Buecher’s stunning 2013 is up for grabs. Shipping included on 6. Bargain-hunter alert!

• ABV 12.50%
• Enjoy right away
• % White Blend