Samares et Strobiles 2023

Wine Description for Samares et Strobiles 2023 by Hunter McKirdy

Colour & Appearance

A slightly muted, transparent strawberry red – the colour alone tells the story of this wine: neither white nor red, but something wilfully in between.

Nose

The nose astounds: dried cherries, lingonberries and sloe dominate, accompanied by apple skin, undergrowth and a discreet hint of vanilla. There’s also a cool mineral vein that makes the wine feel grounded and precise. Anyone expecting a Pinot Gris will be charmingly misled.

Palate

On the palate, a remarkable tension unfolds: juicy red berry fruit meets a vibrant, almost citric acidity and a gripping yet refined tannin structure. The balance between the coolness of stone and minerality on one hand and a warm, ripe fruit depth on the other is impressively achieved. A pleasantly peppery bitterness keeps the wine taut and clear.

Finish

Long, dry and distinctive. In the finale, nutmeg and delicate floral notes shimmer through, whilst the tannins linger elegantly and persistently.

Terroir & Origin

The grapes come from vines planted in 230 metres elevation in Alsace in 2003. The chalky, iron-rich soils on gently sloping hillsides lend the wine its mineral depth and structure. The name is programmatic: Samares (fruit of the elm) and Strobiles (fruit of the larch) refer to the tree species that characterise these terroirs.

Grape Variety & Vinification

Pinot Gris, vinified like a red wine: eight-hour cold maceration of whole bunches, approximately 30 days of fermentation, followed by pressing and complete malolactic conversion in wooden cask. The wine is aged 10 to 18 months on fine lees, without bâtonnage – bottled unfiltered. A consistently artisanal approach that deliberately redefines the boundaries of the grape variety.

Special Features

An orange or skin-contact wine made from Pinot Gris that defies all categories: too fruity for a classical white, too pale for a red, too complex for a pigeonhole. Hunter McKirdy’s Samares et Strobiles is a wine for the curious – and one of the most convincing arguments that Alsace still has plenty of stories to tell.