2018 Kuntz-Bas, Pinot Blanc, Trois Châteaux Vieilles Vignes, Vin d’Alsace, France.
Intriguingly this Old Vine Pinot Blanc is actually 100% Auxerrois, not true Pinot Blanc and sometimes maligned, but here it is shown it its best light and is a gorgeous maturing white wine with mixed citrus, rounded apple, white peach and golden fig fruits, along with a honeyed richness, delicately spiced, stony and with a touch of almond paste. Vinous on the medium/full palate and feeing dry but lush in mouth this was a top notch performance from Alsace’s Kuentz-Bas and is an inspired by the glass pour at my favorite local restaurant, Cella, in old town Monterey, and it went fabulous with grilled octopus and a white bean and tapenade dish. Sourced from vines, many close to 45 years old, on mainly limestone soils, this wine sees a whole cluster pressing, very slowly, which the winery says generally takes between 4-6 hours in a gentle pneumatic press. Adding that then the must is chilled to 52° F while the heavy lees settle, after which the main fermentation lasts 4 to 8 weeks in foudre, then the pure Auxerrois was aged in foudre for 7 to 8 months sur lie, adding to the complexity and textural depth here. The honeyed tones and density here lead me to believe there was some late picks here, and it works perfectly and I highly recommend this unique “Pinot Blanc” from Kuentz-Bas.
Famous Berkeley importer, Kermit Lynch, who brings Kuentz-Bas to an American audience, explains that the Maison Kuentz-Bas was first established by the Kuentz family in 1795, and the domaine as we know it today was forged through a marriage that joined the Kuentz and Bas families in 1895. Nestled in the town of Husseren-les-Châteaux, it sits at one of the highest points in Alsace, and the vineyards stretch out from the village over an area of ten hectares. More than two hundred years of tradition and vineyard pedigree have made these wines perennial favorites, with Kermit Lynch and myself, as I’ve been enjoying them since around 1999 or so. These wines, which fly under the radar, are impeccably made and delicious, as this 2018 Old Vine Pinot Blanc highlighted recently, and are fairly priced for the quality on offer. Kuentz-Bas, now with Laure and Jean-Baptiste Adam running this 12,000 cases per year estate have moved towards all organic farming and are using biodynamic practices as well, which certainly seems to have elevated the wines in the last decade here. Over the last 25 years, I don’t remember having this bottling, only if I knew, as I usually have stuck with the basic Riesling and the Alsace Blanc, which in its latest form is 30% Sylvaner, 30% Pinot Blanc, 20% Riesling, 10% Muscat, 5% Pinot Gris, 5% Gewurztraminer! As we get into the deeper part of Fall and the Holiday Season, these wines from Alsace get more and more appealing as they really go with the cuisine and provide great value too.
($25 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive