Lucia is quite right, we must stop buying wines just because we like them and be a bit more pragmatic. Here’s a case in point. There’s very little about this wine that ‘sells itself’, regardless of how good it is, so it would be an inefficient use of our time to proselytise on its behalf. especially when we only have 6 bottles. Luckily, Lucia is on holiday, so here goes.

It’s a Pinot Gris from Alsace, made by Paul McKirdy, who was chef de cave at the iconic Alsace domaine, Zind-Humbrecht, before setting up this iconoclastic new venture with former colleague, Jolene Hunter. I say ‘iconoclastic’, because they are doing things their own way, eschewing the appellation system in favour of more creative freedom and they have declassified this Pinot Gris, sourced from a Grand Cru site, to a humble Vin de France bottled in a Burgundy-shaped bottle, just to flex their rebel status. None of that matters if the wine doesn’t stack up, but it’s fabulous! It’s packed with notes of struck flint, tangy quince, Amalfi lemons and rain on limestone, reminding me of Ganevat’s ‘Cuvee Florine’, a serious, age-worthy white for the dinner table 12.5% alc. 9 months in barrel. Drink now-2030.

Press review:

The Wine Advocate: “The 2023 Les Pentes Sèches is a pure Pinot Gris that has been gently pressed "à la Champenoise" (only 70% of the potential must) and vinified with natural yeasts in 10+-year-old oak barrels for nine months and bottled without racking, clarification and only a moderate addition of sulphur dioxide. The nose is accordingly reductive yet not freaky. It is deep and intense, indicating ripe and intense fruit intertwined with a complex minerality and calcareous marl expression. On the palate, this wine is medium to full-bodied, elegant and refined, remarkably saline and savoury and provided with generous but elegant fruit, vibrantly mineral freshness and a serious structure. The finish is focused, aromatic and fine, with perfectly ripe fruit that is discreet and interwoven with the terroir elements of this excellent and stimulating white. It should be aerated if served young. 12.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Drink now-2036” 92 points