Domaine Laurent Barth
ドメーヌ・ローラン・バルト
Hand-farmed, biodynamic Grand Cru Alsace from Schlossberg and Marckrain.
Domaine Laurent Barth is a small family estate in Bennwihr, Alsace, run by Laurent Barth, who took over his father's vines in 1999 and released his first wines under his own name in 2004 after his final grape-supply contract with the local cooperative ended. After studying winemaking in Beaune and completing international internships (including in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, India, South Africa, Australia, and at Porter Creek in California's Russian River Valley), Barth returned home influenced by neighboring biodynamic growers such as Patrick Meyer and Marc Tempé, and progressively converted his roughly 4.5 hectares, spread across 27 scattered parcels, to certified organic and biodynamic farming. The steep, hilly plots are worked entirely by hand and tilled by horse where tractors cannot go. He owns vines in two Grand Cru sites: Riesling and Muscat on the granitic Schlossberg (Kaysersberg) and Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noir on the marl-limestone Marckrain, around which he produces no fewer than three separate Pinot Noir cuvées. Barth harvests exclusively by hand, presses whole clusters, and lets fermentation and maceration proceed without pumping or crushing, favoring natural, low-intervention methods that let each terroir speak for itself even at the cost of technical perfection. Production is tiny and much sought after among natural-wine specialists in Japan, the US, and the UK.
Cuvées
No cuvées registered yet.
Who Is This For?
For natural-wine lovers who want terroir-driven Alsace whites and Pinot Noir made with minimal intervention, whole-cluster pressing, and no pumping or crushing.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Laurent Barth's winemaking philosophy?
- Laurent Barth favors natural, ancestral methods: hand-harvesting, whole-cluster pressing, and letting fermentation and maceration proceed without pumping or crushing, believing a wine's identity should reveal its terroir even if that means accepting some imperfection over technical polish.
- Is Domaine Laurent Barth organic or biodynamic?
- Yes. Influenced by neighboring growers Patrick Meyer and Marc Tempé, Barth converted his roughly 4.5 hectares to certified organic farming and has progressively introduced biodynamic practices, working the steep parcels entirely by hand and tilling with a horse where tractors cannot go.
- Which Grand Cru vineyards does Laurent Barth work with?
- He owns parcels in two Grand Crus: Schlossberg in Kaysersberg, a granitic slope planted to Riesling and Muscat, and Marckrain, a marl-limestone site in Bennwihr planted to Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noir — around which he produces three distinct Pinot Noir cuvées.
- How did Laurent Barth get started as a winemaker?
- He took over his father's vines in 1999, initially continuing to sell grapes to the local cooperative, and released his first wines under his own name in 2004 after studying winemaking in Beaune and working international harvests in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, India, South Africa, Australia, and California's Russian River Valley.
- Do Laurent Barth's wines pair well with Japanese cuisine?
- Yes — their bright acidity, mineral drive, and whole-cluster texture make them versatile with sashimi, tempura, and delicately seasoned seafood, which is part of why they are so popular among Japanese natural-wine importers.