Alsace, at the eastern edge of France, next to Germany, seems to have faded off many wine lovers’ map in the past couple of decades. That’s a shame - it’s the cradle of best-in-class riesling, gewürztraminer, muscat, and pinot gris (the four noble varieties that appear on labels of Alsatian varietal wines) as well as delightful blends of those and other varieties - as in this wine. The Kuentz family started this venerable domainin 1795; marriage with a member of the Bas family 100 years later established the current name - appropriately German-French, like Alsace itself. Farming is certified organic and biodynamic. This wine is a blend of the four noble varieties, plus sylvaner and pinot blanc, aged for 6 months in hundred-year-old big barrels. It’s an easygoing and generous white wine: stone fruit, ginger, a little fleshiness, and a lot of fun. And what a gorgeous, old-school label! The wine is highly adaptable to lots of Asian dishes, or go full Alsatian with tarte flambée (essentially an Alsatian pizza bianca) or choucroute garnie.
