Sous les Coudriers VdF 2024

A dry Pinot Gris that draws its tension from salt and acidity rather than alcohol. At 12.0% ABV it stays fine and weightless while still showing the breadth and texture that come from the young limestone terroir.

The vineyard lies within a lieu-dit on the lower slopes of the hill that carries the Sonnenglanz Grand Cru. The soil is Oligocene limestone marl, the vines are 20 years old and sit at just 230 metres of elevation; the north-facing exposure tempers the microclimate. Jolene Hunter and Paul McKirdy, previously cellar masters at Zind-Humbrecht for fourteen years, have farmed 3.5 hectares of Jurassic limestone marl in Zellenberg by hand since 2023.

100% Pinot Gris. Picking is decided by pH rather than potential alcohol, at pH 3.2. The grapes are gently pressed for eight hours in a hydraulic wooden press, a technique borrowed from Champagne; the must ferments spontaneously in old Burgundy barrels, with no added sulphur and no oenological additives.

In the glass, a hazy pale gold with creamy highlights. The nose is bright and clear: citrus, pear and quince, along with angelica, rosewood, anise and ginger. With air, floral notes and mineral hints of seashell and sea air emerge. On the palate it takes hold: pronounced salinity, exceptionally fresh acidity, compact and long.

Coudrier is one of the oldest names for the hazel tree, rooted in myth and folklore; such trees once stood in the lieu-dit and gave the cuvée its name. The wine is released as Vin de France in a Burgundy bottle rather than the Alsace flute, with the estate's annual production capped at 25,000 bottles.