Pinot Gris Clos Jebsal 2020

A dry Pinot Gris of spicy fullness and saline freshness. Intense yeasty spice, ripe apples and quince compote meet candied walnuts and fruit bread, along with a saline note that lends the wine finesse. Radiant golden yellow in the glass.

The 1.3-hectare Clos Jebsal lies below the Grand Cru Brand, separated from it by a geological fault that divides the granite of the primary era from the gypsum marls of the Keuper, dating to the secondary era. The very steep south-facing slope lets the grapes ripen quickly. In the lower section and on the terraces the marl lies deep and cool, while in the upper section the limestone comes through more strongly.

100 percent Pinot Gris from vines planted by Léonard Humbrecht in 1983, after he had replanted the clos in the late 1970s. Olivier Humbrecht farms it biodynamically. Yields run at 30 to 40 hectolitres per hectare, at least six months of lees contact shape the texture, and no wine leaves the cellar before one to two years of ageing. 13.0% ABV.

Rich texture, a delicate sweetness, subtle salinity, invigorating acidity and a piquant tannin. Acidity and salinity lend freshness to rich, substantial dishes. Those opening it now should decant a day ahead and pour it not too cold into large Burgundy glasses.

With unstuffed foie gras with apple and sesame crunch, with lamb skewers with pomelo-yoghurt sauce, and for dessert with baked apple with roasted nuts and vanilla cream.

2020 marks a turning point for this site. As the warmer climate speeds up ripening and noble rot shows a less noble face, the grapes were picked in this very early vintage before botrytis could develop. The result is the driest Jebsal in its history, a style meant to last.