Pinot Gris Rotenberg 2019

A powerful, bone-dry fermented Pinot Gris from Wintzenheim in Alsace. Olivier Humbrecht, the first Frenchman to hold the title Master of Wine, farms 42 hectares biodynamically; on the steepest plots, horses are once again at work. Yields sit at 30 to 40 hectolitres per hectare.

The Rotenberg lies on the west to northwest side of the Grand Cru Hengst in Wintzenheim, on red-tinted marly limestone from the Oligocene. The topsoil is very thin, partly due to the steep slope, and the limestone itself is poor. The elevation and northwest orientation slow the rise in sugar, so the site ripens late despite the village being considered an early-ripening one.

Pure Pinot Gris. In the past, this site produced wines in a late-harvest style; earlier harvests and drier weather have shifted the style towards dry. The vines grow vigorously but carry only a few, very small bunches, so production is very low. The wild yeasts worked slowly, fermenting the wine through to completion. At least six months of lees contact and one to two years of ageing lie behind a wine before it leaves the cellar.

In the glass, a radiant, intense golden yellow. On the nose, beetroot, boxwood, pepper and walnut, underpinned by juicy orange and mango; with a little air, meadow herbs and broom, along with hints of anise and coriander. On the tongue it seems to float: elegant and firm, with pronounced salinity and lively acidity, at 13.0% ABV.

Tuna carpaccio with lime zest, mild soy sauce and ground coriander, red lentil and Hokkaido pumpkin stew with ginger, or smoked guinea fowl breast in puff pastry with a light orange sauce and sugar snap peas.

The 2019 vintage gives the Rotenberg a particularly firm structure; the wine can age for decades. Anyone opening it now should decant it for several hours and choose a sufficiently large glass. Over a few days after opening, it gains further in expression.