Pinot Gris Clos Windsbuhl 2018

A dry Pinot Gris from Alsace that plays spice and acidity in equal measure. In the glass a dense, slightly muted golden yellow; on the nose chalky and malty notes, a touch of wood smoke, then apple, vineyard peach, kumquat, broom flower, fresh ginger, honey and a dab of soy sauce: an umami wine, from the very first whiff.

Clos Windsbuhl sits at the summit of the village of Hunawihr on shell limestone. The topsoil layers are so thin that the vines quickly reach the bedrock. The climate ripens late; soil warmth and the south to southeast exposure offset the altitude and the cooling influence of the nearby Vosges forest. The grapes come from plantings of the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s; vines planted in the early 1990s still go into the second wine, Roche Calcaire, to this day.

Pinot Gris. Olivier Humbrecht calls this plot arguably the most difficult of his Pinot Gris sites when it comes to harvesting at perfect sugar ripeness. In 2018 the timing was right, and the very dry harvest weather preserved good wild yeasts on the berries, allowing the wine to ferment fully dry. The estate farms biodynamically, keeps yields at 30 to 40 hectolitres per hectare, and gives its wines at least six months of lees contact followed by one to two years of ageing in the cellar.

Monumentally built, with abundant fruit and spice and a layered, invigorating acidity that gives the wine play and drinkability. 13.5% vol., dry.

Burrata with mango and Thai basil, carabiniero prawn with dim sum, fermented pepper and hing choi, or lamb curry with basmati rice, flaked almonds and dried apricots.

Clos Windsbuhl is a historic monopole of Domaine Zind-Humbrecht. Anyone opening the bottle now is best off decanting it a day ahead and pouring it not too cold into large Burgundy glasses.