Les Pentes Sèches VdF 2023

A pale, lean Pinot Gris that draws its impact from acidity, tension and salinity rather than richness. Finesse and precision define the profile, without the wine lacking aromatic depth.

West of Zellenberg lie slopes encompassing the lieux-dits Rimelsberg and Kronenburg; Kronenburg forms part of the Grand Cru Schoenenbourg. Facing east and southeast, the vineyards are warmed by the sun and dried by the wind. At 300 metres altitude, cool nights preserve the acidity. The vines of the three plots used average 30 years of age and root deeply in the heavy marl of the early Jurassic (Lias).

100% Pinot Gris. Harvest timing was determined by pH and acid ripeness rather than potential alcohol. The grapes were hand-harvested, sorted, brought in in 10-kg crates and pressed as whole clusters over eight to ten hours in a hydraulic wooden basket press — Jolene Hunter and Paul McKirdy call this a "Champagne pressing". The juice flowed by gravity, without débourbage, into Burgundian barrels over ten years old, where it fermented spontaneously. The wine aged nine months on full lees, without racking or SO2 addition; only a minimal amount of sulphites was added before bottling. 12.5% ABV, dry.

The nose combines lemon zest, wet stone and petrichor, along with dried herbs and a very subtle yeasty sweetness. On the palate, the wine is bright, refined and lively, with a touch of extract sweetness and a vibrant acid structure. Minerality and tension feel slightly electrifying and taut, with a finish that grows increasingly saline.

Jolene Hunter and Paul McKirdy have been making wine in Zellenberg since 2023, on 3.5 hectares of Jurassic limestone marl; McKirdy previously spent fourteen years running the cellar at Zind-Humbrecht. Their wines are released as Vin de France rather than under the Alsace AOC, and in Burgundy-shaped bottles, with production capped at 25,000 bottles per year.