2023 L'ABEILLE ET LE PAPILLON PINOT BLANC

TRY ME IF YOU LOVE: Pinot Gris

ABV: 13.0%

GRAPES: Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois

TASTING NOTES: Subtle and elegant with delicate stone fruit flavours, beautifully intertwined with a gentle hint of spice, creating a pure and supple profile. Notes of spiced stone fruit and crushed rock minerality add depth

PAIRS WITH: Great as an apéritif but will also work with things like oysters, roast chicken and or asparagus.

SERVE ME: Chilled, pop in the fridge for a couple of hours

Starting his career as a sommelier at his father’s restaurants in his native Japan, Jintaro enrolled in oenology school and gained experience working in vineyards across New Zealand and Burgundy before settling in Alsace with his family in 2012.

Inspired by his experience working alongside some of the region’s leading vignerons, including Isabelle Meyer, Jean Boxler, and Jean-Paul Zusslin, Jintaro produced his first vintage in 2020 with the help of Domaine Gross’s Vincent Gross and using fruit sourced from exemplary growers around Gueberschwihr and Rouffach.

Channelling Japanese craftsmanship and traditional winemaking techniques, Jintaro’s wines are fermented with native yeasts, aged in an assortment of vessels, and undergo stirring of their lees – something much more usual in Burgundy than Alsace. The resulting cuvées are full of energy and combine pure fruit with complex umami notes.